Sam Houston State will host a unique college golf event Monday and Tuesday when eight men's teams and eight women's squads gather in Houston for the Bearkats' Elkins Lake Fall Classic Golf Tournament.

Both the men's and the women's tournaments will be played on the par 71 course at Elkins Lake Country Club. The women's course distance is 6,041 yards while the men's stands at 6,689 yards.

In past years, Sam Houston has hosted 19 fall men's golf tournaments at Elkins and four women's events there since women's golf was reinstated in 1997-98. But Monday and Tuesday mark the first time the Bearkats have hosted men's and women's events simultaneously.

"At eight o'clock Monday morning, we'll have a shotgun start for the women on the front nine and the men on the back nine. It's going to be a great event," Sam Houston head golf coach Ronnie Choate said. "This is a great opportunity for local fans to come watch some outstanding young men and women play golf."

The teams will play 36 holes on Monday with the final 18-hole round to begin at 8 a.m. on Tuesday.

Entering teams in both the men's and women's tournaments are McNeese State, Houston Baptist, Tyler Junior College and host Sam Houston State.

Other men's team competing include Louisiana-Monroe, Texas-Pan American, Nicholls and Oklahoma Christian.

Universities entered in only the women's tournament are Central Arkansas, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Stephen F. Austin and Centenary.

The Elkins Lake Fall Classic was an annual event for the Sam Houston men from 1977 to 1996 with the Bearkats winning the title in nine of the 18 tournaments. Last year, the Fall Classic was reborn and again the winners were the Bearkats.

Ten times the men's individual medalist champion has been a Bearkat, the last when Brandt Kieschnick won in 1996.

In 1998 through 2001, the Bearkat women hosted four tournaments at Elkins Lake, winning three times.

Coach Choate's Bearkat men have played in three golf tournaments this season. Their top finish has been third place at the Oral Roberts Shoot-Out in Tulsa. Scott Kelly and Fergal Rafferty lead this year's men's squad with stroke averages of 72.6 and 74.3, respectively.

Women's coach Tommy Chain has taken his team to two tournament this season. The Sam Houston women placed fourth at Oral Roberts and sixth at Texas A&M. Jessica Borth and Meghann Stevens lead the Bearkat women this fall, both with 79.0 stroke averages.

PAST ELKINS LAKE FALL MEN'S TOURNAMENT TEAM CHAMPIONS
Year    Team Champion          Score               SHSU Finish
1977    Sam Houston St.         298      298      1 of 10
1978    Sam Houston St.         139-294           433*    1 of 11
1979    Sam Houston St.         288-304           592      1 of 8  
1981    Stephen F. Austin       299-308           607      2 of 7  
1982    Sam Houston St.         294-295           583      1 of 8  
1983    Sam Houston St.         289-275           564      1 of 9  
1984    Stephen F. Austin       289-294           583      2 of 12
1985    Houston Baptist          298-287           585      2 of 9  
1986    Sam Houston St.         296-304           600      1 of 11
1987    Southwestern Louisiana          291-294           585      2 of 19
1988    Lamar  293-303           596      2 of 12
1989    Stephen F. Austin       293-290           583**  4 of 11 
            Lamar  294-289           583
1990    Sam Houston St.         289-300           589      1 of 11
1991    Oral Roberts    287-293           580      2 of 14
1992    Stephen F. Austin       290-rain           290      3 of 14
1993    Sam Houston St.         282-298           580      1 of 9  
1995    Sam Houston St.         295-303           598      1 of 12
1996    Sam Houston St.         284-283           567      1 of 6  
2008    Sam Houston St.         285-281-283    849      1 of 11

Year    Individual Medalist                Score
1977    Robert Singletary, Sam Houston        68        68
1978    Phil Estep, Sam Houston        35-71   106
            Robert Singletary, Sam Houston        33-71   106
1979    Phil Estep, Sam Houston        71-73   144
            Robert Thompson, Sam Houston        69-75   144
1981    Steen Tenning, McLennan      71-71   142
1982    Jim Phenicie, Sam Houston    70-74   144
1983    Dan Cook, Sam Houston        71-67   138
1984    Joe Golden, Stephen F. Austin           70-72   142
            Jimmy Squires, Stephen F. Austin      71-71   142
1985    Glen Joyner, Houston Baptist 75-71   146
1986    Kirk Johnson, Sam Houston   74-74   148
1987    Dewitt Weaver, SMU             67-76   143 (won playoff)
            Cam Emerson, Southwest Texas        71-72   143
            Mike Genovese, Southwestern LA     70-73   143
1988    Kevin Boscamp, Sam Houston           73-72   145
1989    Henrik Simonsen, Houston Baptist    70-70   140
1990    Brian McMyler, Stephen F. Austin     72-71   143
1991    Lance Watson, Oral Roberts   67-73   140
1992    Brian McMyler, Stephen F. Austin     69-rain   69
            Paul Friedlander, Oral Roberts           69-rain   69
1993    Dean Choate, Sam Houston   66-74   140
1995    Billy Bennett, Sam Houston   73-71   144
1996    Brandt Kieschnick, Sam Houston      72-66   138
2008    Anthony Michael, Oklahoma City      66-72-67          205

WOMEN'S TOURNAMENTS AT ELKINS LAKE COUNTRY CLUB
Team Champion
1998    McLennan CC            323      324                  --          647
1999    Sam Houston State     310      318                  --          628
2000    Sam Houston State     328      317                  --          645
2001    Sam Houston State     316      324                  --          640

Individual Medalist Champion
1998    Heather Sterling, MCC           77        79                    --          156
1999    Janell Howland, Lamar           71        84                    --          155
2000    Adirenne Gautreaux, SHSU   80        77                    --          157
2001    Lindsey Reed, SHSU 81        75                    --          156