Men’s Golf Set for Final Fall Event in Tennessee

2026 BANK OF TENNESSEE INVITATIONAL
Date	Monday-Wednesday, Oct. 19-21, 2026
Info Hub	EMU Notes (pdf)
Venue	Blackthorn Club \| Jonesborough, Tenn. \| Par: 72 \| Yards: 7,167
Live	Live Scoring (Scoreboard)
Social Media	EMU_Golf (X) \| Ea sternMichiganMensGolf (Instagram)

JONESBOROUGH, Tenn. (EMUEagles.com) — The final fall tournament of the season awaits the Eastern Michigan University men's golf team this week as the Eagles will travel to Jonesborough, Tenn., to compete in the Bank of Tennessee Invitational, Monday-Wednesday, Oct. 19-21, at the Blackburn Club. Hosted by East Tennessee State, the three-day, 54-hole event will play on the par-72, 7,147-yard Ridges Course and feature players from 17 teams, including several national top 25 programs.

THIS WEEK'S LINE UP
Here are the Eagles that will compete at the 2026 Bank of Tennessee Invitational (Oct. 19-21):
Arsit Areephun (Y-5) • 72.2 avg. • T3rd in EMU debut at the Highlands Invitational (Sept. 25-26)
Charlie Box (Y-4) • 72.4 avg. • T25th at Highlands Invitational after a season-opening T34th in Arizona
Joshua Hess (Y-2) • 71.9 avg. • T9th at Highlands Invitational; back-to-back tourneys under par to open year
Vicente Quiroga (Y-1) • 70.9 avg. • Won the Nemacolin Collegiate after a final-round 63 (tied EMU record)
Parin Sarasmut (Y-1) • 71.1 avg. • Runner-up in Arizona in debut event; MAC Golfer of the Week (Sept. 11)
Ben Sessions (Y-1) • 72.7 avg. • T65th in collegiate debut at Bombs Darts Birds Collegiate
Felipe Suarez (Y-2) • 69.8 avg. • Tied for the win at the Shepherd's Rock Individual (Oct. 5-6)
Robby Turnbull (Y-2) • 71.2 avg. • Tied for the win at the Shepherd's Rock Individual (Oct. 5-6)

CHIP INS
» Eastern has had a player named MAC Golfer of the Week following all three weeks of play this fall with Vicente Quiroga joining the list after earning the honor Oct. 9 after tying for the win at the Nemacolin Collegiate Invitational with the help of his final-round 63, which tied the program's single-round record. He joined Parin Sarasmut (Sept. 11) and Arsit Areephun (Sept. 25) as award winners this season.
» Eastern played in two tournaments the last time out and walked away with three individual wins. Vicente Quiroga tied for medalist honors at the Nemacolin Collegiate Invitational (Oct. 5-6) on the Mystic Course while both Felipe Suarez and Robby Turnbull shared medalist honors next door on the Shepherd's Rock Course in the Shepherd's Rock Individual (Oct. 5-6). Both courses were part of the Nemacolin Woodland Resort in Farmington, Pa.
» Four players made their Eastern Michigan debuts at the Bombs Darts Birds Collegiate (Sept. 7-8). The group included three players making their collegiate debuts in Parin Sarasmut, Vicente Quiroga, and Ben Sessions, while Felipe Suarez, a transfer from Missouri Valley College, played his first event at the NCAA Division I level after playing last year in the NAIA. The following event, the Highlands Invitational (Sept. 21-22) saw Arsit Areephun make his debut with the team.
» As a team, the Eagles shattered several records at the Bombs Darts Bird Collegiate (Sept. 7-8), including the 54-hole total score, 54-hole score to par, and the top two spots on the score to par list for individual rounds. Overall, the 830 strokes broke the previous record by two while the 34-under score blasted the previous best of 28-under by six strokes. EMU shot 272 in the third round and 273 in the first to post the second and fifth-best rounds, respectively, overall while taking the top two spots in score to par.
» The roster also features five newcomers, including three first-year collegiate players and two transfers. The first-year players include Vicente Quiroga (Bolivia), Parin Sarasmut (Thailand), and Ben Sessions (UK) while the transfers include Arsit Areephun (Thailand) from Delaware and Felipe Suarez (Argentina) from Missouri Valley College.
» Over the summer, the NCAA announced its new age-based eligibility model, which also is unofficially known as the five-in-five model. The new model gives student-athletes five years to compete for five seasons with no redshirting and other waivers being utilized moving forward.
» Andy Walker is back for his third year as the Eagles' head coach and brings a championship of his own from summer play after capturing medalist honors at the Yamaha Golf Cars Plus Michigan Senior Open, July 14-15, at Bedford Valley CC. Walker shot 6-under 138, including a 30-foot birdie putt on No. 18 to force a playoff, where he won the title on the second hole.
» Former Eagle Stuart Grehan (2017-18) won The Amateur Championship that was played June 15-20 at Royal Liverpool in England. The Irishman captured the title at the 131st playing the event after finishing tied for 14th in stroke play (5-under 139) before winning six matches, including 1-up in the 36-hole final against American Matt Moloney.

FEELING HONORED • QUIROGA
Vicente Quiroga was named the MAC Golfer of the Week, Oct. 9, after he made history at the Nemacolin Collegiate Invitational as the freshman bounced back from rounds of 73 and 75 on the first day to fire a final-round 63 to help him climb 22 spots and finish in a three-way tie for medalist honors. His first collegiate win saw him tie for the lowest single round in program history that was set exactly one year prior by teammate Charlie Box, who shot 63 at the West Bay Collegiate, and equaled the mark recorded by Tim Chan two years prior at the White Sands Bahamas Invitational (Oct. 23, 2024). Quiroga, whose previous best finish in a collegiate competition was his tie for 11th two weeks prior at the Highlands Invitational, won the 27th title in program history (since 1980-81) and helped Eastern finish second in the standings by one stroke after sitting in a tie for fourth after two rounds.

ADDING UP
The MAC Golfer of the Week honor was the first for Vicente Quiroga and the third of the season for the Eastern program after both Parin Sarasmut and Arsit Areephun earned the award Sept. 11 and Sept. 25, respectively. Eastern is no stranger to earning weekly awards from the MAC as the team collected a league-high seven during the 2025-26 season with Charlie Box being selected four times while Robby Turnbull earned two and Joshua Hess added one to the total.

TOURNAMENT INFO: THE FACTS
The Bank of Tennessee Invitational will feature 18 holes of play each day (Oct. 19-21) with players from 17 schools competing on the par-72, 7,147-yard Blackthorn Club Ridges Course in Jonesborough, Tenn. Each day will see players start off both the No. 1 and No. 10 tees at 8:30 a.m. with the tournament crowning a team and individual champion.

TOURNAMENT INFO: THE FIELD
The Bank of Tennessee Invitational will feature players from 17 teams with 13 competing in the team and event and four others sending individuals to play. Along with Eastern Michigan and host East Tennessee State, the squads sending full teams include Austin Peay, East Carolin, Eastern Kentucky, Kent State, Lamar, Mercer, Middle Tennessee State, Toledo, VCU, Virginia Tech, and William & Mary. Individuals slated to compete hail from Auburn, Oklahoma State, Tennessee, and Texas Tech.

IN THE RANKINGS • TEAMS
The first rankings of the 2026-27 season were released by Scoreboard/Clippd on Oct. 14 with eight of the 13 teams in the field ranked in the national top 150, including host East Tennessee State, who leads the way at No. 8. MAC foe Toledo is No. 27 to round out the top 50 teams in the field with No. 62 Eastern Michigan and No. 94 Virginia Tech rounding out the top 100. The remaining top 150 teams include No. 102 VCU, No. 135 William & Mary, No. 142 Austin Peay, and No. 147 Mercer. Several individuals from highly-ranked teams also will be on hand, including representatives from No. 2 Auburn, No. 5 Texas Tech, No. 7 Oklahoma State, and No. 9 Tennessee.

IN THE RANKINGS • INDIVIDUALS
Sixteen players in the field are ranked among the national top 300 this week, including a trio of Eagles in No. 145 Arsit Areephun, No. 244 Vicente Quiroga, and No. 249 Parin Sarasmut. Three players in the field are ranked in the top 100 including No. 13 Erik Tjarnberg and No. 46 Veigar Heidarsson from ETSU and No. 27 Bence Bertenyi from Toledo. ETSU (four), Eastern Michigan (three) and Toledo (three) are the only teams in the field with three or more players ranked in the top 300 this week.

EAGLE RANKINGS
Three Eagles are starting off the season with a career-high ranking with Arsit Areephun, Joshua Hess, and Robby Turnbull all ranked higher this week than where the began the 2025-26 season. Areephun is No. 145 this week, which is 64 positions ahead of No. 209 ranking to start last year, which was also his highest national ranking as a collegiate competitor until this week's reveal. Hess is up 175 spots to No. 425 this week, which also is his career-best rankings, surpassing the No. 518 he held last March. Turnbull opened the year at No. 518, which is an 86-place improvement from his No. 604 start last year.

REVIEW • NEMACOLIN COLLEGIATE
At the Nemacolin Collegiate Invitational, played on the Mystic Rock Course, EMU shot Even-par 864 (287-298-279) to finish second among 16 teams as Seton Hall won the event at 1-under 863 (297-287-279), edging the Eagles by a single stroke, while host West Virginia finished third at 5-over 869. Both the Eagles and Pirates moved up two spots in the final standings as each fired rounds of 9-under, the lowest of any round in the tournament.

Leading the charge in that final round was Vicente Quiroga, who fired a 9-under 63 to tie the program record for the lowest single round. His 63 matched the mark set by Charlie Box exactly one year earlier at the West Bay Collegiate after he tied Tim Chan, who was the first to record the mark while playing in the 2024 White Sands Bahamas Invitational. Quiroga rallied from tied for 22nd after two rounds to finish tied for first individually at 5-under 211 (73-75-63), sharing medalist honors with Seton Hall's Will Hennessee and Auburn's Hampton Beebe. It marked his best collegiate finish after tying for 11th at the Highlands Invitational two weeks earlier and stood as the 27th medalist honor earned by a member of the program since the 1980-81 season.

Parin Sarasmut was the Green and White's other standout in the team event, finishing tied for sixth individually at 2-under 214 (71-73-70). Sarasmut was steady throughout, posting rounds at or under par in rounds one and three to contribute significantly to EMU's team score across all three days. His finish marked his second career top 10 showing after he tied for second at the season-opening Bombs Darts Birds Collegiate in college debut.

REVIEW • SHEPHERD'S ROCK
At the concurrent Shepherd's Rock Individual, which featured 14 total players in the field and did not feature team scoring, Eastern Michigan swept the top two spots and placed three players in the top five. Robby Turnbull and Felipe Suarez each finished at 6-under 210, sharing co-medalist honors. The wins marked the 25th and 26th medalist finishes in program history and gave Turnbull his first collegiate win while Suarez captured his first as an NCAA Division I player after winning five times with NAIA Missouri Valley last year. Ben Sessions added a fifth-place finish at 5-over 221 (73-74-74), giving EMU three players in the top five of the individual tournament.

NOTING NEMACOLIN EVENTS
» Vicente Quiroga's shared title at the Nemacolin Collegiate Invitational marked the 27th medalist honor earned by an Eastern player since the 1980-81 season and was the first in a team event since Charlie Box won the 36-hole Muirfield Shootout (April 20, 2026) last season. Quiroga also posted the first individual 54-hole win since Box captured the West Bay Collegiate Invitational one year ago.
» Felipe Suarez and Robby Turnbull were the top two through all three rounds and earned medalist honors for the program for the 25th and 26th times, respectively, since 1980-81. The wins also stand as the first in a non-team-scored event for the program.
» Of the three winners, two are in their first seasons at Eastern, including first-year player Vicente Quiroga and transfer Felipe Suarez, while Suarez and Robby Turnbull are both in their second collegiate seasons.
» The three individual wins on the same day were historic as Eastern had never had teammates share titles at the same event, let alone have medalists in multiple events on the same day. The three wins tied for the second-most in a single season (since 1980-81) with the 2006-07 squad that saw Christopher Ross win the Cleveland State Invitational before Graham Hill won both the FirstEnergy Intercollegiate and the MAC Championships.
» The final round 63 Vicente Quiroga shot not only tied the program's single-round low, but also came exactly one year since Charlie Box tied the mark with his second-round 63 at the West Bay Collegiate Invitational in Estero, Fla. The duo joined Tim Chan, who set the mark at the White Sands Bahamas Invitational, Oct. 26, 2024, to take down the top spot from five individuals (Korey Mahoney, Cam Burke twice, Nic Ross, Kyle Rodes, and Tyler Lewis) who combined to shoot 64 on six occasions.

GOING LOW
Eastern has played three team tournaments this fall and shot par or lower in the final team scoring in back-to-back-to-back tournaments for the first time in program history (dating back to the start of the 1990-91 season). Eastern shot 34-under 830 at the season-opening Bombs Darts Birds Collegiate (Sept. 7-8) to start the streak before shooting 3-under 861 in Chicago at the Highlands Invitational (Sept. 21-22) and shooting even-par at the Nemacolin Collegiate Invitational (Oct. 5-6).

TEAM RECORD BOOK REWRITES
The Eagles took a red pen to the record book as their first and third-round scores at the Bombs Darts Birds Collegiate (Sept. 7-8) ranked among the best in program history. In overall scoring, the 273 shot in the first round ranked tied for fifth overall while the 272 posted in the final round tied for second, just one off the 271 shot last year at the Hal Williams Collegiate (Feb. 16, 2026). Additionally, the 16-under score recorded in the third round is the record for all single-round scoring after bettering the 15-under recorded in the first round. The previous best was 14-under (274) recorded in the third round of the 2007 MAC Championships. Overall, the 830 strokes recorded are the lowest 54-hole total in program history, surpassing the 832 strokes tallied at the Joe Feaganes Marshall Invitational, Sept. 9-10, 2019. Additionally, the 34-under score broke the mark by six after the Eagles shot 28-under 836 at the 2018 Loyola Intercollegiate (Feb. 25-26).

BACK FOR MORE
EMU's roster features eight players with three back this year after joining the program ahead of the 2025-26 season. Those three players include Charlie Box, Joshua Hess, and Robby Turnbull, all of whom earned All-Mid-American Conference honors last year.
» Box was a two-time medalist in his first year with the program and his third collegiate season as he won the West Bay Collegiate Invitational (Oct. 6-7) in a playoff before sharing honors at the Muirfield Shootout (April 20). Box was named the MAC Golfer of the Year and finished the season with a school-record stroke average of 71.6, surpassing the 71.8 Beau Breault recorded in 2018-19.
» Hess posted a stroke average of 72.9 in his rookie season as the Swiss international played in 13 tournaments with six top-20 finishes. He was named to the All-MAC Second Team.
» Turnbull appeared in 10 tournaments for the Eagles and posted six finishes in the top 20 with two coming in the top 10. He averaged 72.4 strokes per round, which ranked tied for ninth in program history, before earning MAC Freshman of the Year accolades.

WELCOME ABOARD
The 2026-27 roster also welcomed five newcomers, including three first-year collegians and two transfers.
» Arsit Areephun was a three-year member of the Delaware program and won once for the Blue Hens with the title coming last season. A 2025-26 All-Conference USA Second Team selection, Areephun ended the season ranked in the top 350 of the college ranks after averaging 71.1 strokes per round.
» Vicente Quiroga has been ranked among the top 100 in the world and enters the season ranked No. 74 on the WAGR list. A first-year collegiate player from Bolivia, he posted top-10 finishes in 51-of-63 tournaments played from 2023-26 with 18 wins and 17 runner-up showings. He is one of two Quirogas playing in Ypsilanti this year as his sister, Constanza Quiroga, transferred to the women's program over the summer.
» Parin Sarasmut has also been ranked among the top 100 in the world and currently sits at No. 95 following another busy summer that saw him win the Ciputra Golfpreneur Junior World Championship for the second time in his career. He also was a member of the Thai National Team from 2023-25.
» Ben Sessions brings a wealth of experience playing in both stroke and match play competitions for England as he helped his team win several tournaments, most recently defending the crown earned at the Girls and Boys Home Internationals (match play) after winning the Sir Henry Cooper Championship.
» Felipe Suarez came to town after winning six tournaments for Missouri Valley College last year as a first-year player. An NAIA All-American that finished the year ranked No. 3 nationally, Suarez was also named the NAIA Phil Mickelson Outstanding Men's Freshman of the Year, the Heart of America Conference Golfer of the Year, and the HOAC Freshman of the Year after winning the conference's individual title.

WALKER IT OFF
Head Coach Andy Walker won the Yamaha Golf Cars Plus Michigan Senior Open this summer as he used a late run to capture the title at the event played July 14-15 at Bedford Valley Country Club in Battle Creek, Mich. Walker, who finished at 6-under-138, used a run of four consecutive birdies over the final four holes that included sinking a 30-foot putt on No. 18 to force a playoff. In that playoff, Walker made birdie on the second hole to win the title.

WIN OF THE IRISH
Former Eagle Stuart Grehan (2017-18) won The Amateur Championship that was played June 15-20 at Royal Liverpool in England. The Irishman captured the title at the 131st playing the event after finishing tied for 14th in stroke play (5-under 139) before winning six matches, including 1-up in the 36-hole final against American Matt Moloney.

ON THE HORIZON
The fall season has ended for the Eagles with the playing of the Bank of Tennessee Invitational. Eastern Michigan will return to play at The Prestige, Feb. 15-17, 2027, in La Quinta, Calif. The team portion of the tournament will be played on the Greg Norman course at PGA West while individuals will compete at Trilogy Golf Club.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Arsit Areephun

Charlie Box

Tim Chan

Joshua Hess

Vicente Quiroga

Parin Sarasmut

Ben Sessions

Felipe Suarez

Robby Turnbull

Eastern Michigan Athletics