Pamer helps host Villanova capture team title in Wildcat Fazio Invitational at a tough Galloway National

 

   Villanova finished in a tie for fourth place in the Big East Championship a year ago, the highest finish for the Wildcats since 2012.

   With a victory in the Wildcat Fazio Invitational, which wrapped Tuesday at Galloway National Golf Club in Galloway Township, N.J., across the bay from Atlantic City, this year’s Villanova team is gaining some momentum with the Big East Championship on the horizon early next month.

   Villanova was coming off a runnerup finish in last month’s Golden Horseshoe Intercollegiate at the Golden Horseshoe Golf Course in Williamsburg, Va.

   This week, the host Wildcats, getting a tie for second place from Ryan “Coop” Pamer, a senior from Hudson, Ohio, pulled out a hard-fought two-shot victory over Big East rival Georgetown.

   It was Villanova’s second team title of the wraparound 2025-2026 season to go along with its victory in the Big 5 Championship last fall at The 1912 Club.

   And there was nothing easy about this win. Galloway National is a Tom Fazio design and his name was added to the tournament’s title in a nod to one of the most prolific golf course architects in the last, what, 30, 40 years.

   The teams played 36 holes Monday with a cold front settling in. With the ocean temperature slow to recover from our brutal winter, it has been even chillier along the coast. The wind started kicking up during the day Monday and was even more of a factor Tuesday.

   Tough conditions on a tough golf course sent the scores soaring, but Villanova gutted out the victory with a 30-over-par 882 total.

   The Wildcats opened with a 301 over the 7,111-yard, par-71 Galloway National layout and probably won the tournament with a sparkling 1-under 283 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round that gave them a three-shot lead over Georgetown going into Tuesday’s final round.

   Villanova closed with a 14-over 298 that enabled it to hold onto its advantage.

   Pamer led the way for the Wildcats as he finished in a tie for second place with Navy’s Chip Deegan, a senior from Newport Beach, Calif., as they both landed on 4-over 217.

   Georgetown’s Carson Erick, a freshman from Hingham, Mass., closed with a fairly spectacular 2-under 69, given the conditions, to claim the individual title with a 3-over 216 total.

   Pamer, who is putting the finishing touches on a really solid career at Villanova, matched par in the opening round with a 71 before adding a pair of 2-over 73s in the final two rounds to finish at 4-over.

   Villanova had two other players finish among the top eight as Brockton English, a graduate student from Shelby Township, Mich., ended up alone in fifth place with an 8-over 221 total, and Vibhav Alokam, a sophomore from Ypsilanti, Mich., landed among a trio of players tied for eighth place at 10-over 223.

   English, who transferred from Drexel to the Main Line for his postgraduate year, bounced back from an opening-round 81 in a big way with a 3-under 68 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round before closing with a 2-over 73.

   Alokam also struggled in the opening round with a 7-over 78, but, like English, rebounded in a big way with a 4-under 67, the low individual round of the tournament, in the afternoon of Monday’s double round. Alokam closed with another 78.

   Georgetown, behind Erick, finished two shots behind Villanova in second place with a 32-over 884 total as the Hoyas added a 10-over 294 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round to their opening-round 293 before closing with a 297, the low team round of the day in Tuesday’s cold wind.

   Erick trailed Pamer by three shots going into the final round after adding a 3-over 74 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round to his opening-round 73. But Erick’s closing 69, easily the best individual round of the day, earned him the first individual title of his collegiate career.

   Like Villanova, Georgetown had three players finish inside the top eight as Barnes Blake, a junior from Westfield, N.J., ended up in a tie for sixth place at 9-over 222 and C.J. Winchenbaugh, a sophomore from Weston, Mass., landed among the trio tied for eighth at 10-over.

   Blake added a 2-over 73 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round to his opening-round 75 before closing with a 74.

   Winchenbaugh sandwiched a 2-over 73 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round with a pair of 4-over 75s.

   Navy, playing out of the Patriot League, finished 12 shots behind Georgetown in third place with a 44-over 896 total.

   The Midshipmen added a 14-over 297 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round to their opening-round 296 before closing with a 303.

   Leading the way for Navy was Deegan as he closed with a 1-under 70 to get a share of second place with Villanova’s Pamer at 4-over. Deegan had opened with a 1-over 72 and added a 4-over 75 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round.

   Navy had another finisher in the top eight as senior Jack Tarzy, a regular on Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour leaderboards as a junior golfer, joined Villanova’s Alokam and Georgetown’s Winchenbaugh in the trio tied for eighth place at 10-over.

   Tarzy, who starred scholastically at The Hun School of Princeton, was coming off a share of medalist honors in the Golden Horseshoe Intercollegiate. It was the fourth individual title of what has been a tremendous senior season for Tarzy.

   After opening with a 3-over 74 at Galloway National, Tarzy added a solid 1-over 72 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round before closing with a 77.

   Seton Hall, another Big East entry, finished a shot behind Navy in fourth place with a 45-over 897 total as the Pirates added a 12-over 296 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round to their opening-round 298 before closing with a 303.

   Seton Hall was led by David Lally, a senior from Ireland who finished alone in fourth place in the individual standings, three shots behind Villanova’s Pamer and Navy’s Deegan with a 7-over 290 total. After opening with a 3-over 74, Lally added back-to-back 2-over 73s in the final two rounds.

   Rhode Island, an Atlantic 10 representative, finished five shots behind Seton Hall in fifth place with a 50-over 902 total.

   The Rams, at No. 137 the highest-ranked team in the field in the Scoreboard, powered by clippd, rankings, bounced back from an opening-round 302 with an 8-over 292 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round before struggling with a 308 in the final round.

   Penn, an Ivy League representative, finished three shots behind Rhode Island in sixth place with a 53-over 905 total. After opening with a 306, the Quakers added a 15-over 299 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round before closing with a 300.

   Penn had a strong individual showing from Ryan Chang, a sophomore from Brookline, Mass., but Chang was competing as an individual and didn’t count toward the team score.

   Chang opened with a solid 1-over 72 and added a 5-over 76 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round before closing with a 74 that earned him a share of sixth place with Georgetown’s Blake at 9-over 222.

   La Salle, one of Rhode Island’s A-10 rivals, shared seventh place in the 12-team field with Long Island, out of the Northeast Conference, each ending up with a 54-over 906 total that was a shot behind Penn.

   The Explorers bounced back from an opening-round 307 with an 11-over 295 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round before closing with a 304.

   After opening with a solid 6-over 290, the Sharks added a 310 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round before finishing up with a 306.

   Backing up Pamer, English and Alokam for Villanova was Nathan Marion, a junior from San Antonio, Texas who finished in the group tied for 34^th place with a 230 total. Marion added a 4-over 75 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round to his opening-round 77 before closing with a 78.

   Rounding out the Villanova lineup was senior Matt Zerfass, a three-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier at Emmaus who finished among a trio tied for 44^th place at 233.

   Zerfass, who shared medalist honors with Navy’s Tarzy in the Golden Horseshoe Intercollegiate last month, sandwiched an 83 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round with a pair of 4-over 75s, both of which were counters.

   Villanova head coach James Wilkes took the opportunity of the Wildcats’ home tournament to get the rest of his roster out on the golf course competing as individuals.

   Joshua Lavely, a senior from Kewadin, Mich., and Luke Leonard, a freshman from Jupiter, Fla., both landed in the group tied for 49^th place at 235.

   Lavely registered a pair of 80s in Monday’s double round before closing with a 4-over 75. Leonard got off to a solid start with a 2-over 73, but struggled to an 83 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round before finishing up with a 79.

   Peter Barros, a junior from Bethesda, Md., finished alone in 67^th place with a 249 total as he added an 83 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round to his opening-round 84 before closing with an 82.

   Ian Love, a sophomore from Chicago, Ill., finished alone in 69^th place with a 252 total as he opened with an 81 and added an 87 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round before closing with an 84.

   Rounding out the Villanova contingent was Cameron Besaw, a sophomore from New Canaan, Conn. who finished alone in 71^st place with a 255 total as he added an 80 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round to his opening-round 89 before closing with an 86.

   Villanova will compete in the Mountaineer Invitational, which tees off Monday at the Pete Dye Golf Club in Bridgeport, W. Va., in its final tuneup before the Big East Championship, which tees off May 2 at Riverton Pointe Golf & Country Club in Hardeeville, S.C.

   Penn got a couple of strong showings from Kayden Wang, a freshman from San Diego, Calif., and Hayden Adams, a junior from Lexington, Ky., as they landed in the trio tied for 12^th place at 12-over 225.

   Wang sandwiched a 2-over 73 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round with a pair of 76s. Adams, coming off a third-place finish in the Columbia Spring Invitational at the challenging William Flynn gem at Rolling Green Golf Club, added a 4-over 75 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round to his opening-round 77 before closing with a 2-over 73.

   Backing up Wang and Adams for the Quakers was Arjun Caprihan, a freshman from Short Hills, N.J. who finished among the group tied for 26^th place with a 228 total as added a 4-over 75 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round to his opening-round 79 before closing with a 3-over 74.

   Wesley Hu, a sophomore from Suwanee, Ga., finished in a tie for 32^nd place for Penn as he opened with a 3-over 74 and added a 76 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round before closing with a 77.

   Rounding out the Penn lineup was Max Fonseca, a junior from Miami, Fla. who finished alone in 64^th place with a 245 total. Fonseca struggled in Monday’s double round, posting a pair of 84s before closing with a 6-over 77.

   Penn will be running into some Ivy League foes in this weekend’s Princeton Invitational at Springdale Golf Club in Princeton, N.J. in its final tuneup before the Ivy League Championship, which tees off April 24 at the prestigious Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, N.J.

   Leading the way for La Salle was Gavin Dosch, a junior from Draper, Utah who finished among the group tied for 15^th place with a 13-over 226 total. Dosch bounced back from an opening-round 81 by matching par in the afternoon of Monday’s double round with a 71 before closing with a 3-over 74.

   Kyle Virsik, a freshman from Melbourne, Fla., and Armand Loscalzo, a senior from Mount Pleasant, S.C., gave the Explorers two more top-20 finishers as they ended up in the group tied for 20^th place at 227.

   Virsik opened with a solid 1-over 72 and added a 76 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round before closing with a 79. Loscalzo bounced back from an opening-round 79 with a solid 1-under 70 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round before finishing up with a 7-over 78.

   Alex Yong, a sophomore from Stockton, N.J., finished among the group tied for 40^th place at 232 for La Salle as he tallied a pair of 7-over 78s in Monday’s double round before closing with a 76.

   Rounding out the La Salle lineup was Peyton Hawke, a sophomore from Canada who finished in a tie for 62^nd place with a 241 total. After opening with a 7-over 78, Hawke struggled to an 87 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round before closing with a 76.

   La Salle will close out it regular season when it tees it up in the Abarta Coca-Cola Collegiate Invitational Sunday at Northampton Country Club in Easton, its final tuneup before the Atlantic 10 Championship, which tees off April 27 at the Evermore Resort in Orlando, Fla.

   Also in the lineup for Seton Hall was junior Eli Shah, who had a pair of top-10 finishes in the PIAA Class AAA Championship during an outstanding scholastic career at Penncrest. Shah finished alone in 59^th place at Galloway National as he opened with an 8-over 79 before adding back-to-back 80s in the final two rounds.