On September 15 and 16, the ETSU men’s golf team competed against 12 other teams in the Highlands Invitational. For the first time since 2023, ETSU was the official collegiate host of this tournament. It was sponsored by Turtleson, the official apparel provider for the Bucs.
The Buccaneers lineup of seven players consisted of freshmen Oliver Blackadder, Veigar Heidarsson and Richard Saunders. Sophomores included Benjamin Oberholzer and Gavin Tiernan. Rounding out the lineup were two upperclass, red-shirt junior Joshua Pritchett and senior Yannick Malik.
Many of these players were a part of the 2024-2025 team, where ETSU won their fifth consecutive Southern Conference Tournament title. They also proceeded to the 2025 NCAA Reno Regional, where they finished ninth overall. ETSU is also one of the only NCAA teams in any sport that has a completely international team, with our players hailing from the following countries: Scotland, Iceland, Germany, Northern Ireland, Ireland, and England.
At the tournament, ETSU came in second place with a score of -16 par, with Wake Forest coming in first place with a score of -24 par. Oliver Blackadder, Gavin Tiernan and Yannick Malik tied for sixth place with a score of -5 par.
Richard Saunders rounded out the ETSU players in the top 15, where he placed 12th with a score of -1 par. The last three members of our team stand as follows: Benjamin Oberholzer placed 27th (+5), Veigar Heidarsson 45th (+10) and Joshua Pritchett 69th (+19).
The Buccaneers will continue their season on September 29 and 30 in the Windon Memorial Classic in Lake Forest, Illinois, where they will compete against 15 other teams for the win.
For more information about the ETSU men’s golf team, visit their website at https://etsubucs.com/sports/mens-golf
