Georgetown received word Wednesday evening that it is headed
for the Kissimmee Regional after the regional fields were unveiled on The Golf
Channel.
The Hoyas earned that ticket to the Reunion Resort’s Watson
Course by finishing off a hard-fought three-shot victory in the Big East
Championship, which concluded Tuesday at the Callawassie Island Golf Club in
Okatie, S.C.
It was the second time in the last three years that
Georgetown has won the Big East title. The Hoyas had won only two Big East titles
before senior Cole Berman arrived in Washington, D.C. and, just as he did in
high school at The Haverford School, Berman will leave a winning legacy behind.
Berman, the 2015 BMW Philadelphia Amateur champion, is part
of a trio of seniors who have been the core of one of the most successful eras
in Tommy Hunter’s coaching tenure. And all three played huge roles in leading
the Hoyas to the team win at Callawassie Island.
Jack Musgrave of Chesterton, Ind. had one of the best weeks
of his Georgetown career, following up an opening round of 2-under 70 over the
6,993-yard, par-72 Dogwood and Magnolia nines at Callawassie Island with a 74
Monday and a final-round 73 Tuesday that left him alone in fourth place in the
individual standings at 1-over 217.
Berman opened his final Big East Championship with a
sparkling 3-under 69 Sunday to set the tone for the Hoyas. But Callawassie
Island has a way of making players pay for their mistakes in a big way and
Berman struggled to an 80 in Monday’s second round.
Berman righted the ship with a 3-over 75 in the final round
to eke out a top-10 finish as he ended up
tied for 10th at 8-over 224.
The third member of the senior trio, Sam Madsen of Madison,
Wis., fell victim to Callawassie Island’s many pitfalls in a second-round 87.
But he put it behind him and posted a final round of 2-over 74 that was a
crucial counter for the Hoyas.
Sparked by the solid starts by Berman and Musgrave,
Georgetown registered the low team round of the tournament with a 1-over 289 in
Sunday’s opening round. But defending champion Marquette was right on the
Hoyas’ heels with a 2-over 290.
Georgetown stretched its small advantage to three shots with
a 304 in the second round to Marquette’s 306. Sparked by a huge 3-under 69 by
Eduardo Blochtein, a sophomore from Delray Beach, Fla., the Hoyas posted a
final round of 3-over 291, a total matched by Marquette. It left Georgetown
with a 20-over 884 total with the Golden Eagles three shots behind in second at
23-over 887.
DePaul was another 13 shots behind Marquette in third place
at 36-over 900 after a final-round 298, Seton Hall finished fourth at 902, two
shots behind the Blue Demons, after a final-round 294, and it was another 11
shots back to Butler in fifth at 813 after a final-round 301.
Villanova finished seventh with a 930 total. The Wildcats
started off with a 309 that left them in a tie for third as Callawassie Island
was at its toughest. But Villanova couldn’t maintain the momentum of that solid
start as the Wildcats added another 309 in Monday’s second round before
finishing up with a 312.
Blochtein’s clutch final-round 69 enabled him to finish
alone in fifth in the individual standings, two shots behind his teammate
Musgrave at 3-over 219.
Also for the Hoyas, Patrick DiPasquale, a sophomore from
Rochester, N.Y., finished among the group tied for 12th at 226 after
a final round of 4-over 76. But DiPasquale’s biggest contribution came in the
second round when he carded a 2-over 74 that helped pick up Berman and Madsen,
both of whom struggled in that round.
Madsen’s final-round 74 enabled him to finish among the
group tied for 34th at 239 in his final Big East Championship.
For the second straight year, a Marquette freshman, this
time Hunter Eichorn of Carney, Mich., claimed the Big East individual title.
Eichorn matched Berman’s opening-round 69 for the best round of the day Sunday.
He added a 1-over 73 before matching par with a 72 in the final round for a
2-under 214 total. He was the only player to finish under par for three rounds.
Eichorn’s teammate, Matt Murlick, a sophomore from Winnetka,
Ill., shared second place with Seton Hall’s Chris Yeom, a junior from Flushing,
N.Y., at even-par 216. Murlick finished up by matching the low individual round
of the tournament, a 4-under 68 to get it back to even-par. After opening with
a 2-over 74, Yeom carded a pair of 1-under 71s to get his piece of the runnerup
spot.
Eichorn and Murlick will represent Marquette and the Big
East as individuals in the Bryan Regional, hosted by Texas A&M. Eichorn was
an automatic qualifier as a conference champion and Murlick received an at-large
bid.
Georgetown accounted for the next two spots in the
individual standings with Musgrave in fourth and Blochtein in fifth.
Butler’s Patrick Allgeier, a sophomore from Fort Wayne,
Ind., and DePaul’s Charlie Spencer-White, a junior from the United Kingdom,
finished in a tie for sixth at 4-over 220.
Allgeier had the other 4-under 68 in the championship in
Monday’s second round after opening with a 3-over 75. He finished up with a 77.
Spencer-White bettered par with his 1-under 71 in the second round. He opened
with a 74 and closed with a 75.
Spencer-White’s Blue Demon teammate, Joe McCarthy, a
freshman from Cincinnati, Ohio, shared eighth place with Xavier’s Garrett Wood,
a freshman from Mason, Ohio, at 7-over 223. McCarthy finished strong by
matching par with a 72 in the final round. Wood opened with a 1-over 73 and
added a pair of 3-over 75s.
Leading the way for Villanova was senior Andy Butler, a
member of Manheim Township’s 2012 PIAA Class AAA championship team who shared
10th place with Berman at 8-over 224.
Two years ago, Butler wasn’t among the five Villanova
players who teed it up in the Big East Championship. But he has been one of head
coach Jim Wilkes most consistent players the last two years and he capped his career
with a pair of 2-over 74s in the first two rounds and a final[-round 76.
Connor Daly, a sophomore form Bronxville, N.Y., had a nice
spring for the Wildcats, including a tie for third in the Wildcat Invitational
at White Manor Country Club, but struggled a little at Callawassie Island.
After opening with a 2-over 74, Daly posted a pair of 79s to finish alone in 24th
at 232.
Andrew MacMillan, a senior from Scottsdale, Ariz., might
have fought his way into the lineup for the Big East Championship with his
showing while competing as an individual in the Wildcat Invitational. MacMillan
finished his Villanova career by ending up among the group tied for 31st at 238.
He posted a final-round 79.
Wilkes completed his lineup with a couple of freshmen,
possibly with an eye toward the future. Matt Barnes of Bethesda, Md., finished in a
tie for 34th at 239 after a final-round 78 and Reb Barnas of
Winnetka, Ill., finished alone in 43rd, struggling home with a
final-round 85.
But it was valuable experience, teeing it up in the
conference championship, for the two first-year players. I know Wilkes is
adding Matt Davis, who starred at Malvern Prep for four years, to his roster
next summer.
I got a chance to spend to spend 36 holes with Davis while
caddying for his Inter-Ac League rival, Harvard-bound Brian Isztwan of Penn Charter, in the Golf Association of
Philadelphia’s Christman Cup last summer at Stonewall’s North Course. Davis will
be a quality addition to the Villanova program.
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