The ASU men’s golf team will kick off its spring season today at the Big Island Invitational in Hawaii.

The tournament will take place from Feb. 4 to 6. It will feature an 18-team field in a 54-hole, medal-play format.

University of Hawaii-Hilo will host the tournament at the Mauna Lani Resort in Kona.

Teams that will be competing with ASU in the tournament include, No. 2 USC, No. 5 Stanford, No. 10 Georgia Tech, No. 11 Washington, No. 16 Texas Tech, No. 20 TCU, No. 31 Florida State, No. 32 UC Davis and No. 48 Colorado.

ASU coach Randy Lein, who arrived with his team in Hawaii on Tuesday, said he feels optimistic about the tournament.

Lein and his team got a feel for the course on Tuesday, but the coach said that heavy winds made practice challenging.

“Because it was so windy, most of the practice was spent getting used to the firmness of the ground and having a feel for how you want to play the course,” Lein said from Hawaii. “These are things the golfers are used to, but the ball in the air will depend on the strength of the wind, so tomorrow things could be all different. The more mature, experienced golfers know how to use the weather and not fight it.”

Lein said that knowing on which side of the green to land approach shots will be key during the tournament.

In last year’s trip to the Big Island Invitational, ASU tied for second with USC, just two points behind champion Stanford.

One of ASU’s six golfers competing in the tournament is sophomore Jesper Kennegard, who won last year’s event with a 13-under 197.

“It was Kennegard’s first and only victory, and as a freshman, that is very good,” Lein said. “He is back this year to defend his title.”

Sophomore Stephan Gross finished eigth in last year with an 8-under.

Reach the reporter at allison.carlin@asu.edu.