Morgan takes individual crown, leads Xavier to team title in The Peoples Championship at Sea Palms Resort

 

   Xavier, playing out of the Big East, was the only team in the large field of 21 that gathered on St. Simons Island, Ga. for The Peoples Championship in the top 100 in the Scoreboard, powered by clippd, rankings.

   And in the end, the Musketeers, at No. 98 in the Scoreboard rankings, played like the highest-ranked team in the field. Xavier, behind individual champion Cayse Morgan, a freshman home boy from Cincinnati, Ohio, came on strong in Saturday’s final round at the Sea Palms Resort to beat host Western Carolina by two shots and claim the team title.

   The host Catamounts, a Southern Conference representative and No. 130 in the Scoreboard rankings, opened with a solid 7-under-par 277 over the 6,664-yard, par-71 Sea Palms Resort layout and added a 2-under 282 in Friday’s second round to take a four-shot lead over SoCon rival Samford going into the final round.

   Xavier had opened with a 10-under 294, but a 4-under 280 in Friday’s second round left the Musketeers a shot behind Samford in third place and five behind Western Carolina.

   But, with Morgan closing with a sparkling 4-under 67 to claim the individual crown, Xavier put together the best team round of the tournament, a 10-under 274 that gave it a 14-under 838 total.

   Morgan had opened with a 2-under 69 and added a 5-under 66 in Friday’s second round that gave him a share of the individual lead with Samford’s Gavin Isbell, a sophomore from Tressville, Ala., heading into the final round.

   Morgan’s strong finish left him with an 11-under 202 total, a shot better than Isbell.

   Xavier had another finisher among the top seven as Carson Bellish, a senior from Pickerington, Ohio, ended up in a tie for seventh place with Western Carolina’s Jace Butcher, a junior from Kennesaw, Ga., each landing on 5-under 208.

   Bellish was steady throughout the weekend as the opened with a 1-under 70 and then added back-to-back 2-under 69s in the final two rounds.

   Western Carolina closed with a solid 3-under 281 as the Catamounts earned a runnerup finish in the team standings with a 12-under 840 total that left them two shots behind Xavier.

   Western Carolina was led by Tyler Jones, a redshirt sophomore from Jacksonville, N.C. who finished alone in third place in the individual standings with an 8-under 205 total. Jones sandwiched a 2-under 69 in Friday’s second round with a pair of 3-under 68s.

   Butcher also had a solid showing for Western Carolina as he added a 2-under 69 in Friday’s second round to his opening round of 3-under 68 before matching par in the final round with a 71 that left him in a tie for seventh place with Xavier’s Bellish at 5-under.

   Samford was in the hunt the entire weekend as the Bulldogs opened with a 6-under 278 and was only one shot out of the lead going into the final round after posting a 1-over 285 in Friday’s second round.

   Samford closed with a solid 5-under 279 to finish two shots behind Western Carolina in third place with a 10-under 842 total.

   Isbell led the way for Samford as he was right with Xavier’s Morgan going into the final round, Isbell opening with a sparkling 5-under 66 and adding a 2-under 69 in Friday’s second round. Isbell closed with a 3-under 68 to end up a shot behind Morgan in second place in the individual chase with a 10-under 203 total.

   Samford had another player finish in the top 10 as Jack Mikesell, a junior from Orlando, Fla., ended up in a tie for ninth place with Drexel senior Kevin Lydon, a PIAA Class AAA Championship qualifier as a senior at Central Bucks West in 2021, and Tennessee Martin’s Drew Williams, a sophomore from Greensboro, Ga., as each landed on 4-under 209.

   After opening with a 3-under 68, Mikesell matched par in Friday’s second round with a 71 before closing with a 1-under 70.

   Winthrop, a Big South Conference representative, finished eight shots behind Samford in fourth place with a 2-under 850 total. The Eagles opened with a 4-under 280 and struggled a little in a 6-over 290 in Friday’s second round before closing with a solid 6-under 278.

   Villanova and Drexel, the respective 1-2 finishers in the Big 5 Championship last fall at The 1912 Club, had decent showings in The Peoples Championship, ending up in a tie for fifth place, each landing on even-par 852.

   Villanova, one of Xavier’s Big East rivals, opened with a solid 5-under 279 and added a 6-over 290 in Friday’s second round before finishing up with a 1-under 283.

   The Wildcats were led by Ryan “Coop” Pamer, a senior from Hudson, Ohio who finished just outside the top 10 in the individual standings in the group tied for 12^th place with a 3-under 210 total.

   Pamer started fast, carding a sparkling 4-under 67 in the opening round before adding a 1-over 72 in Friday’s second round and matching par in the final round with a 71.

   Drexel, a Coastal Athletic Association entry, opened with a 1-under 283 and added a 4-over 288 in Friday’s second round before closing with a 3-under 281.

   Lydon, who earned a trip to the U.S. Amateur at The Olympic Club in San Francisco, Calif. last summer, led the way for the Dragons, closing with a sizzling 6-under 65 to end up in that trio tied for ninth place at 4-under. Lydon had opened with a 2-over 73 before matching par in Friday’s second round with a 71.

   Backing up Morgan and Bellish for Xavier was A.J. Wilhelm, a junior from Mason, Ohio who finished among the group tied for 16^th place with a 1-under 212 total. After opening with a 2-over 73, Wilhelm matched par in Friday’s second round with a 71 before contributing a 3-under 68 to the final-round surge by the Musketeers.

   A.J. Adams, a junior from Dallas, Texas, finished in the group tied for 48^th place at 5-over 218 for the Musketeers as he recorded back-to-back 3-over 74s in the first two rounds before closing with a solid 1-under 70.

   Rounding out the Xavier lineup was Kellen Dean, a sophomore from Saratoga Springs, N.Y. who finished among the group tied for 55^th place with a 6-over 219 total. After opening with a 1-over 72, Dean struggled a little with a 6-over 77 in Friday’s second round before contributing a solid 1-under 70 to the Musketeers’ closing kick.

   Ray Filter, a junior from Crown Point, Ind., competed as an individual for Xavier and joined his teammate Adams in the group tied for 48^th place with a 5-over 218 total. Filter signed for back-to-back 2-over 73s in the first two rounds before closing with a 1-over 72.

   The trio of Davidson’s Nate Faulkner, a sophomore from Roanoke, Va., Tennessee Tech’s Haden Maxwell, a junior from Soddy Daisy, Tenn., and Long Island’s Arjun Singh Bhatia, a junior from India, shared fourth place in the individual standings, each ending up a shot behind Western Carolina’s Jones with a 6-under 207 total.

   Faulkner rattled off three straight 2-under 69s. Faulkner led the Davidson Wildcats, the reigning Atlantic 10 champions, to a tie for 16^th place in the team standings with Marshall with a 24-over 876 total.

   Maxwell added a 3-under 68 in Friday’s second round to his opening-round 70 before closing with a 2-under 69.

   Maxwell led the Golden Eagles, an Ohio Valley Conference representative, to eighth place in the team standings with a 2-over 854 total.

   Singh Bhatia closed with a rush as he went off in a 7-under 64 in the final round that was the low individual round of the tournament. He had opened with a 3-under 68, but struggled a little with a 4-over 75 in Friday’s second round.

   Singh Bhatia led the way for the Sharks, a Northeast Conference entry, as they finished a shot behind Tennessee Tech in ninth place with a 3-over 855 total.

   UT Martin’s Williams rounded out the trio tied for ninth place at 4-under along with Drexel’s Lydon and Samford’s Mikesell as Williams opened with a 2-over 73 and added a 2-under 69 in Friday’s second round before closing with a sparkling 4-under 67.

   Williams led the way for Skyhawks, one of Tennessee Tech’s OVC rivals, as they finished a shot behind Villanova and Drexel in seventh place in the team standings with a 1-over 853 total.

   Backing up Pamer for Villanova was senior Matt Zerfass, a three-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier during a standout scholastic career at Emmaus who finished among the group tied for 16^th place at 1-under 212.

   Zerfass, the individual champion in last fall’s Big 5 Championship at The 1912 Club, got off to a strong start at the Sea Palms Resort with a 3-under 68 and added a 70 in Friday’s second round before closing with a 3-over 74.

   Vibhav Alokam, a sophomore from Ypsilanti, Mich., finished in the group tied for 25^th place at 1-over 214 for the Main Line Wildcats as he added a 1-over 72 in Friday’s second round to his opening-round 73 before closing with a solid 2-under 69.

   Brockton English, a graduate student from Shelby Township, Mich. who transferred to Villanova for his final season from Drexel, finished in the group tied for 37^th place with a 3-over 216 total. After matching par in the opening round with a 71, English struggled a little with a 5-over 76 in Friday’s second round before closing with a solid 2-under 69.

   Rounding out the Villanova lineup was Joshua Lavely, a senior from Kewadin, Mich. who finished in 112^th place. After opening with a 3-over 74, Lavely struggled, adding a 78 in Friday’s second round and closing with and 83.

   Peter Barros, a junior from Bethesda, Md., competed as an individual for the Main Line Wildcats and finished in 120^th place with a 241 total. After opening with a 5-over 76, Barros added an 81 in Friday’s second round before closing with an 84.

   Backing up Lydon for Drexel was Caleb Taylor as he rattled off three straight 1-under 70s to finish just outside the top 10 in the group tied for 12^th place with a 3-under 210 total.

   Solid showing for sophomore John Stevenson, who starred scholastically at Catholic League power La Salle and was the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s Junior Player of the Year in 2024, as he finished among the group tied for 30^th place with a 2-over 215 total.

   Stevenson, back-to-back winner of GAP’s Junior Boys’ Championship in 2023 and ’24, opened with a 1-under 70 and added a 2-over 73 in Friday’s second round before finishing up with a 72.

   Junior Jon Keba, a scholastic standout at Allentown Central Catholic, finished in the group tied for 48^th place at 5-over 218 for the Dragons as he opened with a 1-under 70 before adding back-to-back 3-over 74s in the final two rounds.

   Rounding out the Drexel lineup was Isaiah Marseille, a redshirt freshman from Linden, N.J. who played scholastically at Blair Academy and Mercersburg Academy and who finished among a trio tied for 109^th place with a 233 total. Marseille bounced back from an opening-round 81 with a 4-over 75 in Friday’s second round before closing with a 77.

   Sophomore Cael Ropietski, a three-time PIAA Class AA qualifier during a little dynasty for the Lake Lehman program that included a Class AA state team crown for the Knights in 2022, was in the lineup for Sun Belt Conference representative Marshall and finished in the group tied for 86^th place with a 225 total.

   Ropietski opened with a solid 1-under 70, but struggled to an 80 in Friday’s second round before closing with a 4-over 75. The Herd shared 16^th place in the team standings with Davidson at 24-over 876.