LAS CRUCES, N.M. -- For those unaccustomed to the perils of desert golf, playing the New Mexico State University's campus course can be a humbling experience.
 
"It's got the fairways, a little bit of rough and then it feeds right into the desert," Wichita State men's golf coach Judd Easterling said. "It's got some nasty bushes, some trees. It's about 50-50 if you're going to find your ball and another 50-50 if you can hit it after you find it. If you keep the ball in green grass, you can play this course pretty well. If you spend a lot of time in the desert you're going to struggle."
 
Yet Easterling is looking forward to seeing the course again next Monday and Tuesday when his Shockers compete in the Herb Wimberly Invitational.
 
"It's always a good place for us to go because of the history," Easterling explained.
 
For the starters, it's the site of former Shocker coach Grier Jones' 1968 NCAA individual championship.
 
When Jones began his coaching career at WSU in 1996, New Mexico State's Herb Wimberly Invitational became an immediate staple on Shocker schedules. Jones' teams took part in 16 of his 23 years, winning three times.
 
Two of those victories came during Easterling's own playing career (2002 & 2004), which explains the positive vibes and his willingness to continue the tradition in his first season as head coach. This will be WSU's tenth-consecutive appearance.
 
Sophomores Zac Owens, Dawson Lewis and Brock Polhill all took part in last year's Herb Wimberly. Owens was the team's top-finisher, tying for 16^th-place on the leaderboard. Easterling hopes that experience will carry over.
 
"We've got to find that 54-hole tournament," Easterling said. "We've got to put all 54 holes together where all five guys are playing well, and I think this is a tournament we can go and compete for a victory.
 
Action begins Monday with two rounds and concludes Tuesday morning with the final 18 holes. Fans can follow live scoring via golfstat.
 

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HERB WIMBERLY INVITATIONAL:
Date: Monday-Tuesday, Oct. 14-15
Host: New Mexico State
Site: Las Cruces, N.M.
Course: New Mexico State University Golf Course
Par: 72
Tee Times: 9:30 a.m. CT (8:30 a.m. MT)
Format: 36-18; 5-Count-4
Live Scoring: GolfStat
 
THE FIELD (10 Teams):
Abilene Christian, Houston Baptist, Incarnate Word, New Mexico State, Odessa College, UTEP, UTRGV, Western Illinois, Western New Mexico and Wichita State.
 
SHOCKER LINEUP:
1. Zac Owens (So.) – Team-best 71.0 stroke average; 4-under (t-16^th) last week at David Toms.
2. Joe Bultman (Fr.) – Two rounds under par last week (-2, t-20^th).
3. Dawson Lewis (So.) -- Ranks second in stroke average (71.77); team-high 35 birdies.
4. Brock Polhill (So.) – Made his season debut last week.
5. Grayson Wallace (So.) – Set a new low-18 in last week's second round (-2, 70).
 

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 JUDD EASTERLING ON…
 
…On returning to NMSU golf course for the 10th-straight season:
"It's cool to go back there. It's a good golf course. It's obviously changed a lot since I played, but it's still the same holes. They've just kind of flip-flopped the alignment, and they built a new clubhouse. Three of the guys played there last year, so they'll have a little bit of local knowledge about the slopes, playing in the desert, stuff like that. But it's always been a good place for us to go because of the history."
 
…The Shockers' performance last week at LSU's David Tom Intercollegiate:
"The first two rounds we played really well. We shot 8-under-par as a team and showed a lot of improvement. Grayson Wallace shot 3-under-par with two rounds under par. Zac Owens starts his day 5-over after three holes but then finishes 4-under, top guy on the team. He rebounded really well after a tough start. But then we struggled in the final round. That was kind of disappointing, but I think the guys gained confidence and took positives from the first two rounds."
 

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UP NEXT:
The Shockers finish out the fall season Oct. 28-29 at the inaugural Intercollegiate at Innisbrook in Palm Harbour, Fla. It's an early previous of next spring's American Athletic Conference Championship, which will be held on the same course.