Junior golfer Luke Trammell lines up a putt on the back nine of Alvamar Golf Course. The men’s golf team will compete at a tournament in Holly Springs, N.C., today and tomorrow.

The Kansas men’s golf team might see some of the rain that caused a five-and-a-half hour delay at the first round of the 69th Masters Tournament, in Augusta, Ga., yesterday.

Today, the Jayhawks are in Holly Springs, N.C., to begin first and second round play at the Courtyard by Marriott Intercollegiate at Devils Ridge Golf Club.

The forecast is for light rain in the morning and scattered thunderstorms in the late afternoon. If the rain stays to a minimum, it could allow players to post some low scores.

It would be beneficial to the Jayhawks if that the tournament were not cancelled, because a strong showing in what is a difficult 15-team field could move Kansas up in the national rankings.

The team enters the event ranked 32nd in the nation by Golfweek magazine.

The Jayhawks finished second in the event last year at MacGregor Downs Country Club in Cary, N.C.

Kansas enters today coming off of a second-place finish at the 59th Western Intercollegiate in San Jose, Ca., on March 29. The Jayhawks are playing in their last tournament before the Big 12 Championships, which begin April 29.

Duke, Tennessee, Georgia Southern and Wake Forest all rank in the top 20 in the national polls and are all part of the tournament field.

Coach Ross Randall said that it would take a lot to win in a field with so many great teams, but he said he liked his team’s chances.

“We’ve played very well in our last four tournaments,” Randall said. “If we keep playing the way we’ve been playing, we should do pretty well.”

The Jayhawks will start senior Kevin Ward, sophomore Tyler Docking, sophomore Gary Woodland, junior Pete Krsnich and junior Luke Trammell.

Trammell will be making his third consecutive start of the spring. He made his first start at the Stevinson Ranch Invitational in Stevinson, Ca., filling in for injured senior, Andrew Price. Price tore a ligament in his hand in early March, and may be ready to play in the Big 12 Championships.

“It’s disappointing for Andrew, and it’s upsetting for all of us to see a guy like him go down,” Trammell said. “But I’m feeling pretty good with my game, and I feel pretty confident for all of us this weekend.”

The Jayhawks will tee off at the 7,000 yard par-72 Devils Ridge at 8:30 a.m.

— Edited by Kendall Dix