For the first time since hosting the IHSAA Fall State Golf Tournament in 2005, Hunters Ridge in Marion will provide the test for 76 large school golfers Friday and Saturday. The par-72 layout is landscaped over 6,850 yards.

Play is scheduled to start at noon Friday with tee times starting at 9:30 a.m. Saturday.

Defending champion and top-rated Waukee, which also claimed the 2011 crown, was bumped from the state field in a tough District Tournament at Cooper Creek in Pleasant Hill Tuesday. Des Moines Roosevelt claimed the district title with a 303. The Waukee Warriors shot a 311 and followed Dowling Catholic (309) and Southeast Polk (310).

Several other strong teams and talented individuals will be in the field for the first state championship of the school year.

Eight of the Iowa Golf Coaches Association top-10 rated teams prior to the district tournaments are in the field. Cedar Rapids Kennedy, ranked third, was second in last fall's tournament one stroke behind Waukee. The Cougars were also second in 2010 and fourth in 2011. They last won a state links title in 1990.

Dowling Catholic, rated second, tied Pleasant Valley for fourth in 2012 and seeks to win its ninth golf title. The Maroons last won in 2004.

Ankeny Centennial is new to the field, but its team is largely composed of players who played for Ankeny in the 2011 and 2010 tournaments. The Jaguars are ranked fourth.

No.5 Bettendorf, a qualifier last year, is one of two Class 4A schools to win four or more titles in succession. The Bulldogs claimed crowns from 2003 through 2006 and return to the site of a six-stroke triumph over West Des Moines Valley in 2005. The sixth-ranked Tigers last won in 2011 and hope to win their fifth championship.

Seventh-ranked Southeast Polk, No.8 Xavier and No.9 Johnston are the other top-10 teams and they each are seeking their first title.

Unranked Des Moines Des Moines Roosevelt has won 15 titles (the most among large schools) and four runner-ups. The Roughriders last won a championship in 1967 and their last runner-up finish was in 1976.

Cedar Rapids Washington, which placed second in the Cedar Rapids district, has been one of the most improved teams in the state this year.

The last two state meet medalists are in the field. Ottumwa's Matthew Walker is the defending champion and Valley's Jeff Swegle was the 2011 medalist. Swegle is attempting to be a four-time top 10 finisher after also tying for sixth last fall and sharing seventh as a freshman in 2010.

Andrew Huseman of Ankeny Centennial wound up in a runner-up tie last fall after carding sixth- and 12th-place finishes.

Kennedy's Davis Sutton, a junior, shared sixth last fall and is the state's top-ranked golfer.

4A Golf Fast Facts

Site: Hunters Ridge, Marion - par 72
Date & Times: Friday - 12 noon; Saturday - 9:30 a.m.
Defending Champion: Waukee did not qualify
Defending Medalist: Matthew Walker, Ottumwa
Past Medalist in the Field: Jeff Swegle, Valley, West Des Moines (2012)
Number of Players: 76
Qualifying teams: Ankeny Centennial; Bettendorf; Burlington; Cedar Rapids Kennedy; Cedar Rapids Washington; Des Moines Roosevelt; Dowling Catholic; Johnston; Pleasant Valley; Southeast Polk; West Des Moines Valley; Xavier