This weekend, the Penn State men's golf team is hoping its offense is good enough to stave off the field in what is one of the most important tournaments of the season.

The Nittany Lions will tee off against the rest of the Big Ten today in the Big Ten championship. The three-day event will run today through Sunday at the Ohio State Scarlet Course in Columbus, Ohio.

The stakes will be high for the team, which knows its entire season has led to this point.

"It's a pretty big deal," said junior Robert Rohanna. "It's pretty much the event of the year because it is so well known. It will definitely feel different than other tournaments."

Rohanna, along with the rest of the team, played the Scarlet course just two weeks ago at the Kepler Intercollegiate tournament. The Lions finished in third place in the field of 16, behind conference foe Michigan State and Louisville.

Lions freshman Kevin Foley said their experience on the course could be key to their success today.

"It was a warm-up," Foley said. "It helped us to become more confident to know that we can compete so well at this course."

The Lions weren't the only team to play here recently. Nine other Big Ten teams also played in the Kepler. Penn State head coach Greg Nye said because Penn State wasn't the only Big Ten team to compete there, it might not pay off as much as he hopes. Nye added he didn't think the advantage would be that great.

The tournament's field will feature five top 50 teams, including Michigan St. (No. 26), Minnesota (No. 29) and last year's Big Ten champs, Northwestern (No. 33).

Individually, the field has seven players who are ranked in the nation's top 100.

Nye said the odds might appear against Penn State. While the Lions probably rank 10th out of 11 in the tournament, he is confident that rankings aren't always accurate.

"It will be an awesome field, and it will be a huge challenge," Nye said. "But the guys should feel good about it."

Last year, the Lions finished seventh overall in the event. Rohanna and junior Harvin Groft are the only two starters for the current team who have played in the championship. They placed No. 15 and tied for No. 30, respectively.

The team cannot solely rely on its two veterans this weekend. Younger players like Foley are anxious to experience it for the first time.

"It's the Big Ten championship," Foley said. "It inspires me to step up my game to another level. I'm excited to play in big tournaments like this one that really mean something. That's why I think I can contend for a title."

The par-71, 7,444-yard course has proven to be a tough course with hard greens and difficult pin placements. The Lions hope that it will be difficult for everyone on it.

"Everyone will be struggling at this course," Foley said. "We just have to be tough and grind away at it. We may not be super confident, but we're excited to just go out there and play."