OREM—The Utah Valley University men's golf team returns from its winter break to defend its run of three-straight team titles at the 2019 Pizza Hut Pat Hicks Thunderbird Invitational, Feb. 11-12, at Sunbrook Golf Club in St. George, Utah.
 
"We are happy to be competing again," said Utah Valley head coach Chris Curran. "We know we will have a bulls-eye on our backs having won this tournament in each of the last three years. We know what we need to do. It now comes down to execution."
 
The Wolverines look for their fourth-straight team title on the 6,900-yard, par-72 Sunbrook course.  The 11-team field tournament will include Creighton, Fairleigh Dickinson, Middle Tennessee State, Northern Colorado, South Dakota State, Southern Utah, Stetson, Utah State, Weber State, Western Illinois, and Utah Valley.
 
Teams will play an 18-hole round on both Monday and Tuesday with shotgun starts each day at 9 a.m. (MST). The morning shotgun starts could be delayed due to the possibility of frost on the course.
 
Competing for Utah Valley this week at the tournament will be Gabe Lysen, Jake Bryson, Jake Godfrey, Nick St. Clair, and Tanner Johnson. Competing individually will be Zane Loveland and Tyler Holmes.
 
The Wolverines won last year's Pizza Hut Pat Hicks Thunderbird Invitational with a two-round score of 11-under-par 565 (281-284). UVU's Aaron Yeates won the individual title last season with a two-day mark of 8-under-par 136 (66-68).
 
Utah Valley had a pair of top-10 team finishes during the fall season, highlighted by an impressive performance at the Bill Cullum Invitational in Simi Valley, California where the team finished eighth in the 17-team field.
 
Johnson leads the team with a 73.44 scoring average this season, followed by Godfrey at 73.80 and Lysen at 74.00.
 
The Wolverines will open tournament play on Monday at 9 a.m. There will be no live scoring. Scores will be posted on golfstat.com immediately following each round of play.