The Penn State men's golf team had a hectic week.

After arriving home from the Georgetown Hoya Invitational late Monday night, the Nittany Lions had a chance to attend one day of classes before hitting the road again yesterday for their final competition of the fall before taking a winter respite to prepare for the spring season.

The Lions will partake in possibly their most challenging event of the season in the Landfall Tradition today, tomorrow and Sunday in Wilmington, N.C.

Tee times start this morning at 7:30 for the 54-hole tournament held on the Pete Dye Course of the Country Club of Landfall.

The challenging par-72 course plays 6,997 yards.

As opposed to last weekend's Hoya Invitational, none of the golfers have experience at the course.

"It's a new tournament for everyone," Penn State men's assistant golf coach Kirk Kayden said.

The Dye Course hosted the 1994 NCAA Women's Golf Championship, so it should present a challenge to the 12 men's and 12 women's teams competing, including the Penn State women's team.

"We're very anxious to see how we match up against the top competition," Kayden said.

Weather should not be a problem, although the course is located near the ocean so wind could be a factor, Kayden said.

The temperatures should be in the mid-50s for the tournament.

In addition to the Lions and host UNC-Wilmington, two top-25 teams will compete in No. 6 Duke and No. 11 Minnesota, the defending NCAA champion.

Other Big Ten schools playing in Wilmington include Michigan, Purdue and Wisconsin, with Furman, Missouri, Tulsa, UNC-Charlotte with Virginia Tech rounding out the field.

"The tournament will be a good measuring stick for the spring," Kayden said.

The Lions are currently No. 40 in the latest golfweek.com rankings but still hold the No. 1 spot in District II.

The tournament will also be a reunion of sorts, as UNC-Wilmington head coach Grant Robbins was an assistant coach at Penn State in 1998 and 1999 and helped the Lions advance to the NCAA East Regional in both years.