The men’s college golf season is ready to get underway with one of the most prestigious events on the yearly calendar, the Carpet Capital Collegiate Classic. Played just south of Chattanooga at the Farm, the tournament is known as “The Masters of College Golf” begins Friday morning and ends on Sunday with 18 holes per day.

The Carpet Capital is always a who’s who of college golf. This year’s field of 12 includes four teams that competed in the 2010 NCAA Championship (Clemson, Georgia Tech, Tennessee, Texas Tech) at The Honors Course, while all 12 squads earned regional qualification.

Junior Stephan Jaeger (Munich, Germany) leads the Mocs into the 2010-11 season. It is one of unknowns for the squad as the last two years has seen the graduation of four four-year starters and one two-year.

“It is a new era in a sense,” said head coach Mark Guhne, entering his sixth year at the helm of the program. “It’s exciting because we have a lot of talent and competition for spots that we haven’t had in recent years.

“There is uncertainty based on experience, but not on expectations.”

Jaeger ranked in the top 75 in the country last year and is the reigning Southern Conference Player of the Year, spending a majority of 2009-10 in the top 50. He has earned PING All-Region in each of his first two seasons and sets the tone as the team leader.

Sophomore Steven Fox (Hendersonville, Tenn.) returns after an impressive freshman season. Along with SoCon All-Freshman mention, he captured co-medalist honors at the Furman Intercollegiate with Clemson’s Ben Martin, 2009 U.S. Amateur finalist.

The rest of the lineup is made of freshmen. True freshman Davis Bunn (Knoxville, Tenn.) is joined by redshirts Chris Robb (Aberdeenshire, Scotland) and Benni Weilguni (Langelois, Austria). Each has an impressive junior resume and has the talent to make an immediate impact for the young Mocs squad.

WHO: Stephan Jaeger. He has enjoyed strong success at the Farm finishing tied for fourth keying UTC’s 2008 win and tied for third last year. Through 108 holes, Jaeger is seven-under par with a low round of 66 (2009 2nd).

WHAT: Carpet Capital Collegiate Classic – 54 holes (18 per day). The Mocs won the 2008 event and finished second after leading heading into the final nine in 2009.

WHEN: Friday, September 10 through Sunday, September 12. Tee times can be found by clicking on the live scoring link to the men’s golf schedule page on GoMocs.com. UTC tees off at 9:50 a.m., on Friday.

WHERE: The Farm. Par 72 – Tom Fazio Design – 7,012 yards. Follow live scoring by clicking on the link to the men’s golf schedule page on GoMocs.com.

HOW: The Carpet Capital Collegiate championship in 2008 and second-place in 2009 led the Mocs to the No. 1 ranking in the nation both seasons.

QUOTABLE: “This is my favorite tournament. It’s a special place…the tournament committee and the golf course set the standard for college golf tournaments. Our win here in 2008 is still one of my greatest thrills. They don’t call it ‘The Masters of College Golf’ for nothing.” – Head Coach Mark Guhne

LINEUP (Scoring Avg.): Stephan Jaeger, Steven Fox, Davis Bunn, Chris Robb, Benni Weilguni

FIELD: Alabama, Auburn, Chattanooga, Clemson, East Tennessee State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas Tech, Wake Forest