MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – The Central Michigan men’s golf team opens the 2025-26 season with a trip to Huntington, W. Va. for the Joe Feaganes Invitational, hosted by Marshall, on Sept. 8-9.
The tournament kicks off a 14-event season during which the Chippewas will serve as the host team for four tournaments, beginning with the inaugural Jim DeLapa Collegiate Invitational at historic Point O’ Woods Country Club in Benton Harbor on Sept. 28-29.
CMU is also the host team for the third annual Bridgestone Collegiate Invitational in Napa, Calif. in February; the Mid-American Conference Championship in May in Zionsville, Ind.; and is slated to co-host, with the CMU women’s team, the second Motor City Matchup at Birmingham Country Club in October.
“One of the ideas I had when I came here and we brought (men’s) golf back after 37 years was to elevate the profile of the program and develop some high-level events,” third-year CMU coach Kevin Jennings said. “To become competitive on a local, regional and national level, scheduling is very important and hosting high-profile events at awesome venues will typically attract high-level programs which will reciprocate and invite you to play in their event or in other events affiliated with them.
“It should impact your recruiting because they’re looking at where you’re playing and seeing that your schedule is high level.”
The Jim DeLapa Intercollegiate is named in honor of Jim DeLapa, a longtime Point O’ Woods member who, along with his son Tony, played a very influential role for Jennings while Jennings caddied and worked in the bag room at the club in the 1980s.
“They educated my brother and me about various things in life and in the business world and when they found out that I was playing golf they made sure that I had whatever I needed all the time,” Jennings said. “They were very instrumental in a lot of different ways in supporting us.”
Point O’ Woods has hosted the prestigious Western Amateur 41 times – Jennings caddied there for 1986 winner Greg Parker – and the field comprises 13 teams, including Michigan, Princeton, Florida Gulf Coast and four California-based schools, San Jose State, San Francisco, Pacific and St Mary’s College.
“Literally hundreds of All-Americans and people who have won hundreds of millions of dollars on the PGA Tour have walked those fairways,” Jennings said of Point O’ Woods.
The Chippewas are slated to again host the one-of-a-kind Bridgestone Collegiate Invitational at Silverado Resort in Napa, Calif., the only NCAA Division I men’s event that features multiple international and HBCU schools. The medalist also receives an exemption into a 2026 Korn Ferry Tour event.
The fall portion of the Chippewas’ schedule also includes the Earl Yestingmeier Invitational, hosted by Ball State; and the Fripp Island Intercollegiate, hosted by South Carolina Upstate.
The spring portion of the schedule gets underway with the Feb. 9-10 Lake Jovita Invitational in Dade City, Fla.
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