Georgetown Set To Defend Men's Golf Championship
CALLAWASSIE ISLAND, S.C. – Georgetown will be the defending champion when the BIG EAST returns to the Callawassie Island Golf Club for a fourth straight year for the BIG EAST Men’s Golf Championship Presented by Jeep on April 30-May 2. Play in the 54-hole tournament will begin each day at 8 a.m. ET. The Championship will be played on the Dogwood and Magnolia Courses. Live stats will be available on GolfStat.com.
The team winner will earn the BIG EAST’s automatic berth into the 2017 NCAA Championship field. Should the individual champion not be a member of the winning team, he will also earn a spot to the NCAA Championship.
Individually, the golfers who finished first, second and tied for third in last year’s Championsip all return. Seton Hall’s Lloyd Jefferson Go was the medalist with a six-under-par 210 (70-65-75). His 65 in the second round set a course record and was the second lowest score in Championship history. Georgetown’s Sam Madsen was three strokes behind Go at 213 (70-70-73) and placed second. Fellow Hoya Cole Berman tied for third at 214 (72-71-71). Go, who tied for third place two years ago, is a senior. Madsen and Berman are juniors.
Marquette is the No. 1 team seed, according to GolfStat, going into this year’s Championship. Sophomore Oliver Farrell, who has averaged 72 strokes in 29 rounds, has been the team leader. He has registered 25 par or better rounds, and has the team's lowest score and best finish in eight of his 10 regular-season starts. Farrell also ranks in the nation's top 10 in eagles made (8). Sophomore Charlie Maleki is third on the team in scoring average (74.38) this year. He played in the 2016 U.S. Amateur Open.
Seton Hall ranks second in the team seeding, led by Go, who has six top-5 finishes this year. The Pirates’ 289.68 stroke average for 2016-17 is the lowest in program history. Seton Hall has three of the BIG EAST’s top-5 ranked golfers heading into the BIG EAST Championship. Go’s stroke average is 70.60 followed by sophomores Gen Nagai (72.39) and Chris Yeom (73.57).
Georgetown is the third seed. Three of the four Hoyas who placed in the top 10 of last year’s Championship are back. In addition to Madsen and Berman, Jack Musgrave tied for ninth at 222 (+6). This year Madsen is first in stroke average at 73.44 followed by Berman (73.70) and Musgrave (74.37).
DePaul is seeded fourth. The Blue Demons finished third last year in the Championship and second two years ago. Junior Freddy Thomas has produced two top-5 individual finishes in the Championship in his first two seasons. Last year, Thomas tied for fifth with a 219 (+3). He was third two years ago.
Butler, which tied Seton Hall for sixth in the team standings last year, is seeded fifth. Patrick Allgeier has made a splash in his freshman season by compiling a team-leading 73.63 stroke average. He enters the Championship with five straight top-10 finishes. Senior Joey Arcuri owns a 74.63 stroke average and has put together three top-10 finishes this spring. He finished seventh in last year’s Championship.
Villanova is the No. 6 seed. Senior Lucas Trim leads the Wildcats with a 73.80 stroke average. He has finished sixth or better in five of his last six tournaments. Trim owns a tie for first and two ties for second. Freshman Connor Daly (74.00) was eighth or better, including a tie for first place, in four of his last six events.
St. John’s, Xavier and Creighton are seeded seventh, eighth and ninth, respectively.
St. John’s has posted five top-five finishes in 11 tournaments, including three in its last five events. The Johnnies are coming off a season-best second place showing at the Navy Spring Invitational. Freshman Gerald Mackedon (73.86) has a win at the Connecticut Cup. In last year’s Championship, Seung Yub Baek finished eighth.
Matt Wetterich leads Xavier in stroke average (75.77), rounds played (30) and total tournaments (10). He is coming off his best finish of the season at the Rutherford Invitational in mid-April, finishing in a tie for 13th after shooting 7-over par.
Senior Kade Brown returns after leading Creighton at last year’s BIG EAST Championship, when he tied for 20
th place. Brown’s career average of 75.94 is the best of any Bluejay since 2008.
Team Notes—
Butler -- Freshman Patrick Allgeier leads the team with a 73.63 stroke average. He enters the Championship with five straight top-10 finishes. Senior Joey Arcuri owns a 74.63 stroke average and has put together three top-10 finishes this spring. He finished seventh in last year’s Championship.
Creighton – Kade Brown returns after leading Creighton at last year’s BIG EAST Championship, when he tied for 20
th place. Brown’s career average of 75.94 is the best of any Bluejay since 2008. Junior Charlie Bolton leads Creighton with a 75.8 average this spring, shooting a 78 or better in 11 of those 12 rounds.
DePaul – The Blue Demons have been prime Championship contenders recently, finishing third last year and second two years ago. Junior Freddy Thomas has placed in the top five in each of the past two Championships. Last year, he tied for fifth at 219 (+3). This year, his stroke average is 74.15, just behind senior Jonathan Hewitt at 74.15. Hewitt has posted two top-10 finishes in 2016-17.
Georgetown – The junior trio of Sam Madsen, Cole Berman and Jack Musgrave has led the Hoyas. Madsen is first in stroke average at 73.44 followed by Berman (73.70) and Musgrave (74.37). Madsen has three top five finishes with two coming in his last two tournaments. Berman has finished in the top 10 three times, including one first-place showing. Musgrave has three top-10 finishes.
Marquette -- Sophomore Oliver Farrell averages 72.03 strokes per round (29 rounds). He has 25 par or better rounds, and has the team's lowest score and best finish in eight of his 10 regular season starts. Sophomore Charlie Maleki tied for 20
th in last year’s Championship. This spring, he is third on the team in scoring average (74.38) with eight par or better rounds. He played in the 2016 U.S. Amateur Open.
St. John’s -- The Red Storm have posted five top-five finishes in 11 tournaments, including three in their last five events. The Johnnies are coming off a season-best second place showing at the Navy Spring Invitational. Earlier this season, freshman Gerald Mackedon (73.86) came through with a clutch showing in the one-hole playoff of The Connecticut Cup to give the Red Storm its first medal winner since Dylan Crowley's BIG EAST Championship performance in 2015.
Seton Hall -- Seton Hall has three of the BIG EAST’s top-5 ranked golfers heading into the BIG EAST Championship. The Pirates’ 289.68 stroke average for the 2016-17 year is the lowest in program history. Lloyd Jefferson Go is looking to become the first Seton Hall golfer to win two BIG EAST individual titles. He took first place last year with a six-under-par 210 (70-65-75). His 65 in the second round set a course record and was the second lowest score in Championship history.
Villanova – Senior Lucas Trim leads the Wildcats with a 73.80 stroke average. He has finished sixth or better in five of his last six tournaments. Trim has a tie for first and two ties for second. Freshman Connor Daly (74.00) was eighth or better, including a tie for first place, in four of his last six events. Sophomore Andy Butler (74.56) finished ahead of the top ranked amateur player in the U.S. in the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate.
Xavier -- Matt Wetterich leads Xavier in stroke average (75.77), rounds played (30) and total tournaments (10). He is coming off his best finish of the season at the Rutherford Invitational in mid-April, finishing in a tie for 13th after shooting 7-over at the three-day event.