THIS WEEK IN COUGAR GOLF
The University of Sioux Falls men's golf team heads to Branson, Mo. today to compete in the First Federal Bank Invitational, which will be hosted by Henderson State University April 7-8. The field is expected to consist of St. Cloud State, Delta State, Murray State, Central Baptist, Rock Hurst, Newman, Missouri Southern State and Fort Hays State. This marks the Cougars fourth and final regular season tournament as they prepare for the spring portion of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) championships the following weekend.

THE COURSE
The First Federal Bank Invitational will be played at Branson Creek Golf Course.  Branson Creek is a 7,000-yard championship golf course, designed by world-renowned course architect Tom Fazio. The unique placement of water features, and natural terrain of the Ozark Mountains, adds both beauty and difficulty to this unparalleled course.

LINEUP (SEASON AVG.)
1. Jordan Mueller (78.13)
2. Levi Smith (77.20)
3. Andrew Nelson (79.40)
4. Nick Gottsleben (80.75)
5. Jon Van't Hul (81.16)

LAST TIME OUT
USF suffered a 15 stroke defeat in a single-round dual against Missouri Western State University Saturday. The Cougars unit pieced together a 314, while the Griffons tallied a 299 at St. Joseph Country Club (Par 71, 6588 yards).

Freshman Andrew Nelson finished with USF's best round, finishing three shots under his season average with a 76. Jordan Mueller and Levi Smith each fired rounds of 78, while Nick Gottsleben and Jon Van't Hul tallied scores of 82 and 83 respectively.

2012-13 TOP FINISHES/ROUNDS
Top-10 Finishes:
Mueller (3x), Smith (3x), Nick Gottsleben (2x)

Individual Low Rounds:
1. 70 (-2) Mueller, Husky Classic, 9/23-24/2012 (1st round)
2. 71 (-1) Mueller, NSIC Men's Fall Championship, 10/8-9/2012 (1st round)
3. 70 (E) Smith, SDSU Invite, 09/30/2012 (1st round)
4. 73 (+1) Smith, Husky Classic, 9/23-24/2012 (1st round)
5. 73 (+2) Andrew Nelson, MWSU Central Region Invitational, 10/15-16/2012 (2nd round)

Team Low Rounds:
1. 299 (+11) Husky Classic, 9/23-24/2012 (1st round)
2. 300 (+16) MWSU Central Region Invitational, 10/15-16/2012 (2nd round)
3. 297 (+17) SDSU Invite, 09/30/2012 (1st round)
4. 305 (+17) Husky Classic, 9/23-24/2012 (2nd round)
5. 310 (+22) Missouri Intercollegiate, Sept. 4-5, 2012 (3rd round)

For a closer look at USF's season results, please see season statistics (click here).

NSIC AWARDS
Senior Jordan Mueller earned NSIC Golfer of the Week following his two-round performance at the fall portion of the NSIC Championships. Mueller fired 71-82 in the opening 36 holes to maintain a two-shot lead over Tyler Koivisto of St. Cloud State and Kowan O'Keefe of Minot State heading into the spring session, which will take place April 13-14 at the Jewel Golf Club in Lake City, Minn.

UP NEXT
USF gets right back to it next week, as they head to Branson, Mo. for the First Federal Bank Invitational hosted by Henderson State University.