PEORIA, Ill. -- The Bradley men's golf team will make the first of two spring trips to Texas, opening the spring schedule Monday and Tuesday at the Colin Montgomerie Houston Baptist Invitational in Spring, Texas. 
 
The Braves had not ventured to the Lone Star State until 1998 prior to participating in last year's Colin Montgomerie Houston Baptist Invitational, but will play two spring tournaments in Texas for the second consecutive year.  Bradley was 10th in the 15-team field at last year's event.
 
The two-day, 54-hole event gets underway at 8:30 a.m. with a shotgun start for Monday's opening two rounds and will conclude Tuesday with a single round teeing off at 8:30 a.m.  The 14-team field includes two teams ranked in Golfweek.com top 100 in #61 Houston and #86 Louisiana-Monroe at the par-72 Traditions of Cypresswood Golf Course. 
 
Joining Bradley in the field are four other squads from Texas (Abilene Christian, Houston Baptist, Incarnate Word, Stephen F. Austin and UTRGV) and a second school from Louisiana (Nicholls State).  In-state foe Western Illinois helps round out the participants along with Central Arkansas, Nebraska-Omaha, South Dakota and Weber State.  BradleyBraves.com will provide links via Birdiefire.com to live stats for all three rounds. 
 
Sophomore Drake Bushong (Pekin, Ill./Pekin) paced Bradley at last year's Colin Montgomerie Houston Baptist Invitational, tying for 17th at 219 and carded 74 or better in all three rounds.  Bushong wrapped up the fall schedule with a 72.67 stroke average over his final nine rounds and enters the spring needing three sub-80 rounds to push his career total to 50. 
 
Junior Ethan Brue (Chandlerville, Ill./AC Central/Illinois Central) was Bradley's top finisher in three of five fall tournaments and placed in the top 10 in each of his first five outings as a Brave.  Brue's 72.73 stroke average would break the Bradley season mark and he carded 75 or better in 12 of his 15 rounds in the fall.
 
Fellow junior Zach Jewell (Mapleton, Ill./Limestone/Illinois Central) is one of four individuals to play in all 15 rounds during the fall campaign for Bradley.  Jewell capped the fall with seven of his final eight rounds in the 70's and was third on the team with a 75.93 stroke average. 
 
The only other individual to play in all five fall tournaments was sophomore Branden Mounce (El Paso, Ill./El Paso-Gridley/Illinois State), who placed in the top 20 four times.  Mounce owned a 76.00 stroke average over the final three tournaments of the fall and his 13 sub-80 rounds ranked third on the squad. 
 
Following the Colin Montgomerie Houston Baptist Invitational, Bradley will have almost two weeks off before returning to Texas for the Bradley Spring Break Invitational at Brookhaven Country Club in Dallas, Texas, March 13 & 14.