Sunday, September 6
Pawleys Island, S.C.
All Day
Mercer University
at
Round 1
Bears Open Season At Golfweek Fall Challenge
9/5/2026 11:12:00 AM | Men's Golf
MACON – The Mercer men's golf team will travel to Pawleys Island, South Carolina, to begin the 2026-27 season with the Golfweek Fall Challenge at True Blue Golf Club.
TOURNAMENT INFO
Date: Sunday, September 6 – Tuesday, September 8
Format:Â 54 Holes
Location:Â True Blue Golf Club | Pawleys Island, S.C.
Live Scoring:Â Live Scoreboard
Live Updates on Socials:Â XÂ |Â Instagram
For the third consecutive year, the Golfweek Fall Challenge marks the beginning of Mercer's season. Last season, the Bears finished eighth of 15 teams. Two years ago, Mercer finished tied for fifth of 15 teams. This year, the field consists of 16 teams, including new Southern Conference member Tennessee Tech and in-state rivals Georgia State, Georgia Southern and West Georgia.
"We have three guys making their Mercer debuts," said head coach Jason Payne. "There's a feeling of excitement to see these guys perform and represent our program. Our returners are familiar with this course, and I have been able to coach there a few times. We are prepared to take on the heat and had a strong period of qualifying. I feel good about where we are at heading into this one."
The Bears welcomed five new faces to campus this offseason. Lukas Lautrup and Ethan Dufresne are two key transfer portal additions to the Bears' program. Lautrup, a junior transfer from Emmanuel College, was the Conference Carolinas Player of the Year after maintaining a 71.7 stroke average across 33 rounds. Dufresne, a junior transfer from Sam Houston State, is a former Conference USA All-Freshman Teamer who helped the Kats claim their first-ever C-USA Championship in 2025.
Cooper Franklin, Spencer Ives and Jack Martin make up Mercer's incoming freshman class. Franklin, a native of Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, was the No. 20 recruit in the state of Florida according to the Florida High School Athletic Association rankings. Ives, a native of Naples, Florida, was ranked as the No. 14 recruit in the FHSAA rankings and claimed the Florida State Golf Association Junior Amateur Match Play title this summer. Martin, a native of Chattanooga, Tennessee, finished tied for 27th individually in the Tennessee High School State Championship in 2025.
"We have more new than returning this year," Payne said. "So we spent this summer focusing on how we can free these guys up and push them to play their best individually. We spent time coaching each guy how they need to be coached and put them in the right environments that allow them to be successful."
THE FIELD (16)
Tennessee Tech, UT-Martin, West Georgia, Eastern Kentucky, Georgia State, Old Dominion, Murray State, Presbyterian, Missouri State, Mercer, Radford, Troy, Georgia Southern, USC Upstate, Central Arkansas, Bellarmine
THE LINEUP
Phillips Swift (1)
Ethan Dufresne (2)
Cooper Franklin (3)
Lukas Lautrup (4)
Ryan Curran (5)
Â
TOURNAMENT INFO
Date: Sunday, September 6 – Tuesday, September 8
Format:Â 54 Holes
Location:Â True Blue Golf Club | Pawleys Island, S.C.
Live Scoring:Â Live Scoreboard
Live Updates on Socials:Â XÂ |Â Instagram
For the third consecutive year, the Golfweek Fall Challenge marks the beginning of Mercer's season. Last season, the Bears finished eighth of 15 teams. Two years ago, Mercer finished tied for fifth of 15 teams. This year, the field consists of 16 teams, including new Southern Conference member Tennessee Tech and in-state rivals Georgia State, Georgia Southern and West Georgia.
"We have three guys making their Mercer debuts," said head coach Jason Payne. "There's a feeling of excitement to see these guys perform and represent our program. Our returners are familiar with this course, and I have been able to coach there a few times. We are prepared to take on the heat and had a strong period of qualifying. I feel good about where we are at heading into this one."
The Bears welcomed five new faces to campus this offseason. Lukas Lautrup and Ethan Dufresne are two key transfer portal additions to the Bears' program. Lautrup, a junior transfer from Emmanuel College, was the Conference Carolinas Player of the Year after maintaining a 71.7 stroke average across 33 rounds. Dufresne, a junior transfer from Sam Houston State, is a former Conference USA All-Freshman Teamer who helped the Kats claim their first-ever C-USA Championship in 2025.
Cooper Franklin, Spencer Ives and Jack Martin make up Mercer's incoming freshman class. Franklin, a native of Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, was the No. 20 recruit in the state of Florida according to the Florida High School Athletic Association rankings. Ives, a native of Naples, Florida, was ranked as the No. 14 recruit in the FHSAA rankings and claimed the Florida State Golf Association Junior Amateur Match Play title this summer. Martin, a native of Chattanooga, Tennessee, finished tied for 27th individually in the Tennessee High School State Championship in 2025.
"We have more new than returning this year," Payne said. "So we spent this summer focusing on how we can free these guys up and push them to play their best individually. We spent time coaching each guy how they need to be coached and put them in the right environments that allow them to be successful."
THE FIELD (16)
Tennessee Tech, UT-Martin, West Georgia, Eastern Kentucky, Georgia State, Old Dominion, Murray State, Presbyterian, Missouri State, Mercer, Radford, Troy, Georgia Southern, USC Upstate, Central Arkansas, Bellarmine
THE LINEUP
Phillips Swift (1)
Ethan Dufresne (2)
Cooper Franklin (3)
Lukas Lautrup (4)
Ryan Curran (5)
Â
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
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Sunday, August 30
