MAINEVILLE, Ohio – The Villanova men’s golf team returns to the road this week, traveling to the Midwest to take part in the Xavier Invitational on Oct. 10-11.
“We’re excited to travel to Xavier’s home invitational for the first time,” head coach James Wilkes said. “We always welcome head-to-head matchups against our BIG EAST peers and this week should be a great test for us.”
THE EVENT
The Wildcats are one of 12 teams in the event, with the other participants being Austin Peay, Bowling Green, DePaul, Eastern Kentucky, Morehead State, Northern Kentucky, Oakland, Tennessee Tech, Western Kentucky and Wright State, and Xavier serving as the host.
Individual competitors come from Butler, Ohio State, West Virginia and Xavier.
Morehead State and Northern Illinois tied for last year’s crown at the Xavier Invitational with a team score of +12, while Drake and Oakland placed 3rd and 4th. The host Musketeers ended the competition in T5 along with Butler and Austin Peay.
The format will be different from the Wildcats’ first three events, as both Monday and Tuesday will feature 27 holes for a total of 54 holes across the two days.
Live scoring will be available on Golfstat. The ‘Cats will start on Monday between 9:50 and 10:30 a.m. from hole one.
Full field (Current Golfweek Team Ranking): Ohio State (41), Wright State (108), West Virginia (122), Tennessee Tech (152), Oakland (181), Xavier (195), Bowling Green (197), Western Kentucky (205), Northern Kentucky (206), Butler (207), Morehead State (222), DePaul (237), Villanova (248), Austin Peay (249), Eastern Kentucky (263)
THE COURSE
The event will take place at TPC River’s Bend, which overlooks the Little Miami River and sits just 25 miles northeast of Cincinnati.
Since its opening in 2001, the 18-hole, par-72 course has earned nine selections to Golf Digest’s best courses in Ohio. Designed by golf legend Arnold Palmer, the course measures 7,180 yards and includes six holes with water in play.
TPC River’s Bend has hosted big tournaments in the past, including events for the Champions Tour and LPGA.
THE LINEUP
Nos. 1-5: Peter Weaver, Ryan Pamer, Joshua Lavely, Luke Alexander, Vimal Alokam
Weaver has started the season with a 70.78 stroke average, with a top finish of T-9th at the Alex Lagowitz and a low round of 67.
Ryan “Coop” Pamer has finished atop Villanova’s lineup in both of his collegiate competitions, placing second at the Alex Lagowitz and fifth at the Wildcat Fall Invitational.
Lavely has improved since his college debut, shooting a 219 on Long Island and a 224 at Radnor Valley.
Alexander has competed in six rounds on the young season, with a top finish of T-15th last week at Radnor Valley CC.
Alokam finished second of VU’s lineup at The Doc Gimmler and averages 73.89 strokes per round, with a total of 665 strokes across three tournaments.
UP NEXT
The ‘Cats wrap up their fall slate in the Outer Banks, competing in the ODU/OBX Intercollegiate from Oct. 23-25 at Kilmarlic Golf Club.
