Drexel's Nicholas claims individual title in The Peoples Championship; UNCG cruises to team crown

 

   Drue Nicholas of Egg Harbor Township, N.J. was a junior phenom and a scholastic standout at St. Augustine Prep before heading off for a big-time college career in the Atlantic Coast Conference at North Carolina State.

   But after a year in Raleigh, Nicholas changed course. Deciding to focus on a future in finance, Nicholas came home and joined head coach Ben Feld’s program at Drexel. Through it all, one thing hasn’t changed: Nicholas is a player, a stick in golf parlance.

   Closing with a sparkling 5-under-par 66 Saturday at the Sea Palms Resort on Sea Island, Ga., Nicholas cruised to a three-shot victory in the individual chase in The Peoples Golf Championship. It was his fourth individual crown as a Dragon as Nicholas closes out a college career that is evoking memories of Drexel great Chris Crawford.

   Nicholas finished in a tie for fourth place at Sea Palms a year ago and his familiarity with the 6,664-yard, par-71 layout was apparent right from the start. He opened with a 5-under 66 and added a 2-under 69 in Friday’s second round that left him two shots behind the North Carolina Greensboro pair of Jake Lewis, a freshman from Cary, N.C., and Kelvin Hernandez, a sophomore from Puerto Rico, going into Saturday’s final round.

   Lewis had opened with a sizzling 8-under 63 and added a 1-under 70 in Friday’s second round. Hernandez had opened with a sparkling 6-under 65 and added a 3-under 68 in Friday’s second round.

   Another 66 in the final round gave Nicholas a 12-under 201 total while Lewis matched par in the final round with a 71 to finish in a tie for second place with Davidson’s Joshua Stewart, a redshirt junior from Winter Springs, Fla., each ending up with a 9-under 204 total.

   Hernandez struggled in the final round with an 8-over 79 and finished alone in 13^th place with a 1-under 212 total.

   UNCG, however, easily captured the team title with a 21-under 831 total that was 16 shots clear of runnerup Davidson.

   It was the fourth tournament win of the wraparound 2024-2025 season for the Spartans and their second straight, coming on the heels of last month’s victory in the Dorado Beach Collegiate at TPC Dorado Beach’s Sugarcane Course in Puerto Rico.

   It was a strong showing for the two Big 5 programs that traveled to Sea Island as Drexel, behind Nicholas, finished in third place, five shots behind Davidson, and Villanova ended up three shots behind the Dragons in fourth.

   The Spartans, a Southern Conference representative, led from start to finish. They opened with a sparkling 16-under 268 and added a 5-under 279 in Friday’s second round before matching par in the final round with a 284.

   In addition to the tie for second place individually by Lewis, UNCG also got solid showing from Jack Marcotte, a graduate student from Apex, N.C. who finished alone in fourth place, three shots behind his teammate Lewis and Davidson’s Stewart at 6-under 207.

   Marcotte got it in in red figures each day as he opened with a 2-under 69 and added a 1-under 70 in Friday’s second round before closing with a 3-under 68.

   UNCG was the highest-ranked team in the field at No. 104 in the Scoreboard, powered by clippd, rankings. The Spartans earned a regional bid a year ago, but were unable to advance to the NCAA Championship at the La Costa Resort & Spa as a seven seed in the Austin Regional.

   Davidson, an Atlantic 10 representative, took second place as the Wildcats opened with a solid 7-under 277, struggled a little in Friday’s second round with a 9-over 293 and closed with another 277 to end up 16 shots behind UNCG with a 5-under 847 total.

   Davidson saw its two-year hold on the team title in The Peoples Championship snapped by UNCG.

   Stewart led the way for Davidson as he closed with a sparkling 6-under 65 to get a share of second place with UNCG’s Lewis at 9-under. Stewart had opened with a 3-under 68 before adding a 1-under 70 in Friday’s second round.

   Drexel, in its final year in the Coastal Athletic Association, was steady throughout as the Dragons matched par in the opening round with a 284 and added a 2-under 282 in Friday’s second round before closing with a 2-over 286 that left them in third place with an even-par 852 total.

   Drexel had opened its spring campaign by finishing last of 14 teams in a strong field in last month’s Palmas Del Mar Collegiate at the Palmas Del Mar Country Club’s Flamboyant Club in Puerto Rico.

   Villanova, a Big East representative, opened with a couple of solid rounds, a 4-under 280 in the first round and a 2-under 282 in Friday’s second round before struggling a little with a 9-over 293 in the final round for a 3-over 855 total that left the Wildcats in fourth place.

   Villanova had opened the second half of its 2024-’25 schedule by going 0-1-2 in last month’s Big East Match Play at Bear Lakes Country Club in West Palm Beach, Fla.

   Villanova finished two shots in front of Big East rival Xavier as the Musketeers ended up in fifth place with a 5-over 857 total. After opening with a 4-over 288, Xavier added a 1-under 283 in Friday’s second round before closing with a 2-over 286.

   Three teams, Francis Marion, Richmond and Wright State finished in a tie for sixth place in the 20-team field, each ending up a shot behind Xavier with a 6-over 858 total.

   Francis Marion, a Southland Conference entry, added a solid 2-under 282 in Friday’s second round to its opening round of 3-over 287 before closing with a 5-over 289.

   Richmond, out of the Patriot League, got off to a strong start with a 6-under 278. The Spiders added a 3-over 287 in Friday’s second round before struggling a little with a final round of 9-over 293.

   Wright State, the reigning Horizon League champion, opened with a solid 2-under 282 and added a 2-over 286 in Friday’s second round before finishing up with a 6-over 290.

   The Raiders failed to advance to last spring’s NCAA Championship as a 12 seed in the Rancho Sante Fe Regional.

   Hernandez backed up his UNCG teammates Lewis and Marcotte with his 13^th-place finish. While the Spartans were unable to advance to the NCAA Championship at La Costa as a team last spring, Hernandez did get a chance to compete as an individual by finishing in a tie for third place in the individual chase at the Austin Regional.

   B.J. Boyce, a junior from Fort Bragg, N.C., finished among the group tied for 39^th place for the Spartans with a 4-over 217 total. After matching par in the opening round with a 71, Boyce struggled a little on his way to a 5-over 76 in Friday’s second round before closing with a 1-under 70.

   Rounding out the UNCG lineup was Colin Dutton, a senior from Foxfire, N.C. who finished in the group tied for 54^th place with a 7-over 220 total. Dutton matched par in Friday’s second round with a 71 after opening with a 3-over 74 and then closed with a 4-over 75.

   Winthrop’s Logan Lutz, a sophomore from Mt. Pleasant, S.C., finished alone in fifth place, a shot behind UNCG’s Marcotte with a 5-under 208 total. Lutz opened with a sizzling 7-under 64 and was only a shot out of the lead held by UNCG’s Lewis and Hernandez going into the final round after Lutz posted a 1-under 70 in Friday’s second round. Lutz closed with a 3-over 74.

   Villanova’s Vibhav Alokam, a freshman from Ypsilanti, Mich., led the way for the Main Line Wildcats as he headed a group of four players rounding out the top 10 in a tie for sixth place at 4-under 209.

   After opening with a 2-under 69, Alokam added a pair of 1-under 70s in the final two rounds.

   Joining Alokam at 4-under were Marshall graduate student J.F. Aber, a two-time PIAA Class AA qualifier during a standout scholastic career at Sewickley Academy, Mount St. Mary’s Aaron Sorkin, a senior from Westminster, Md., and host Western Carolina’s Jace Butcher, a sophomore from Kennesaw, Ga.

   After opening with a 2-under 69, Aber added a 1-over 72 in Friday’s second round before closing with a solid 3-under 68.

   Sorkin added a 3-under 68 in Friday’s second round to his opening round of 1-under 70 before matching par in the final round with a 71. After opening with a 3-under 68, Butcher added a 1-under 70 in Friday’s second round before matching par in the final round with a 71.

   Backing up Nicholas for Drexel was Griffin Mitchell, a graduate student from New Albany, Ohio who finished in a tie for 11^th place with Richmond senior Patrick Isztwan, winner of the Bert Linton Invitational for the Inter-Ac League’s individual championship as a Penn Charter freshman in 2017, each ending up with a 2-under 211 total.

   Mitchell sandwiched a 2-under 69 in Friday’s second round with a pair of even-par 71s. Mitchell was the low Dragon in Drexel’s spring opener at Palmas Del Mar in Puerto Rico as he finished in a tie for 32^nd place with a 2-over 218 total.

   Drexel junior Kevin Lydon, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier as a senior at Central Bucks West in 2021, finished among the group tied for 64^th place with an 8-over 221 total. After struggling to a 6-over 77 in the opening round, Lydon contributed a 2-under 69 to a solid team effort by Drexel in Friday’s second round before closing with a 4-over 75.

   Graduate student Andrew Wallace, a two-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier during a standout scholastic career at Harriton, finished in the group tied for 77^th place for the Dragons with an 11-over 224 total. The left-hander closed with a 3-over 74 after recording back-to-back 4-over 75s in the first two rounds.

   Rounding out the Drexel lineup was Caleb Taylor, a junior from Woodbine, Md. who finished alone in 84^th place with a 12-over 225 total. Taylor got off to a solid start with a 1-over 72 in the opening round and added a 6-over 77 in Friday’s second round before closing with a 5-over 76.

   Isztwan fueled Richmond’s opening-round surge as he registered a sparkling 5-under 66. He added a 1-over 72 in Friday’s second round before closing with a 2-over 73 to join Drexel’s Mitchell at 2-under.

   Isztwan has made some noise in the last two editions of the BMW Philadelphia Amateur, falling in the final two years ago on his home course at Huntingdon Valley Country Club and capturing medalist honors in qualifying for match play last summer at Whitemarsh Valley Country Club.

   Backing up Alokam for Villanova was junior Matt Zerfass, a three-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier at Emmaus who spent two years at Saint Joseph’s before transferring to the Main Line.

   Zerfass was really solid at Sea Palms, opening with a 1-under 70 and adding a sparkling 3-under 68 in Monday’s second round before closing with a 4-over 75 to finish in a tie for 14^th place with an even-par 213 total.

   Gus Vickers, a graduate student from Naples, Fla., contributed a 3-under 68 to Villanova’s strong opening round and added a 5-over 76 in Friday’s second round before closing with a 1-over 72 to finish in the group tied for 29^th place with a 3-over 216 total.

   Villanova’s best player, Ryan “Coop” Pamer, finished among the group tied for 39^th place with a 4-over 217 total. Pamer, who won twice during the fall campaign, including a victory in the Big 5 Championship at Aronimink Golf Club, added a sparkling 3-under 68 in Friday’s second round to his opening round of 1-over 73 before struggling a little in the final round with a 5-over 76.

   Rounding out the Villanova lineup was Ian Love, a sophomore from Chicago, Ill. who finished in 114^th place with a 235 total. After opening with an 80, Love carded a 6-over 77 in Friday’s second round before closing with a 7-over 78.

   Also in the lineup for Davidson was senior Adam Lauer, a two-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier during a standout scholastic career at Shady Side Academy. Lauer bounced back from an opening-round 81 with a 4-over 75 in Friday’s second round and a final round of 3-over 74 to finish among a trio of players tied for 105^th place with a 230 total.

   Mount St. Mary’s senior Devin Smith, a two-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier during a standout scholastic career at Waynesboro, finished in the group tied for 49^th place with a 6-over 219 total. Smith got off to a sensational start at Sea Palms with a 5-under 66 in the opening round. He added a 1-over 73 in Friday’s second round before struggling in the final round with an 80.

   The Mount, which plays of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Association, finished in 10^th place in the team standings in The Peoples Championship with a 14-over 866 total.