The Kentucky men?s golf team will return to action this weekend, Mar. 26-28, at the second annual Hootie at Bulls Bay Collegiate Invitational at Bulls Bay Golf Club (Par 71 – 7,147 yards) in Awendaw, S.C. The No. 18 Wildcats won the inaugural event last season after they birdied the first hole in a playoff with Augusta State.

Fifteen of the nation’s best teams, all of which are from the southeastern part of the country, will invade Bulls Bay Golf Club this weekend. Defending “Hootie” champion Kentucky will face five Southeastern Conference foes this weekend in Alabama, Auburn, LSU, host-team South Carolina and Vanderbilt. Florida State, North Carolina, NC State, Virginia and Wake Forest will represent the Atlantic Coast Conference while Augusta State, Clemson, College of Charleston and UCF round out the field.

Teams that appear in this week’s Golfweek/Sagarin top 30 include No. 14 Clemson, No. 15 North Carolina, No. 18 Kentucky, No. 22 Alabama, No. 27 NC State, No. 38 Auburn and No. 30 South Carolina.

Tournament namesake Hootie and the Blowfish will perform for the teams, tournament sponsors and guests over the weekend. Band members Darius Rucker, Mark Bryan, Dean Felber and Jim Sonefeld are all members at Bulls Bay Golf Club and South Carolina graduates. In 2005, the tournament raised $30,000 for the Hootie and the Blowfish Foundation, created to benefit the children of South Carolina through education and support school music programs nationwide.

Matt Kohn finished fifth in last year?s tournament with a total of 215 and is the lone returnee for the Cats this weekend. He will be joined by SEC Golfer of the Week Brad Doster and freshmen Andy Winings and Dan Woltman. Junior Mark Erlewine will also compete for Kentucky this weekend in his first tournament of the year.

?We are the defending champions of the Hootie and are primed and ready to defend our title,? said head coach Brian Craig. ?This is one of the most enjoyable events of the year and we are really looking forward to competing at Bulls Bay.?