HARDEEVILLE, S.C. – It's time for the BIG EAST Men's Golf Championship, as Villanova golf will head down to Riverton Pointe to take part in the 2023 conference tournament from April 28-30.
"Playing well at the BIG EAST Tournament has been the goal all season long and it's finally time to see the rewards of a long season of work," team captain Peter Weaver said. "Riverton Pointe has been circled on the calendar all year and we can't wait to get the week started."
THE EVENT
The Wildcats are one of 10 teams in the conference competing in the event, alongside Butler, Connecticut, Creighton, DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, St. John's, Seton Hall and Xavier.
Seton Hall is the reigning BIG EAST team champion, holding off Marquette by three strokes for the Pirates' first conference championship since 2000. UConn's Caleb Manuel captured the individual automatic qualifier into the NCAA Championship after a playoff with Seton Hall's Gregor Tait.
Villanova finished eighth among last year's field with a 21-over 885, with the highest VU finisher tying for eighth on the individual leaderboard. The Wildcats are slotted 10th among this year's field by GolfStat, with the third and fifth ranked individual competitors.
The format for the conference championship is a 54-hole event with one 18-hole round on each of Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Live scoring will be available on Golfstat and a video stream is available on Gamekast.
VU's lineup will tee off at 8 a.m. on Friday, with all competitors beginning at tee one on the first and second day while the third round starts on the No. 1 and 10 tees.
Full field (Golfweek Team Ranking): Marquette (63), St. John's (160), Seton Hall (162), Butler (177), UConn (179), DePaul (210), Xavier (211), Creighton (214), Georgetown (219), Villanova (232)
THE COURSE
Riverton Pointe Golf and Country Club will serve as the host for this year's BIG EAST Championship.
The Jack Nicklaus-designed course was named Golf Advisor's 15th best course in South Carolina during 2022, and recently hosted the BIG EAST Women's Championship a few weeks ago.
The par-72, 7,000-plus yard facility opened in 2021 and serves as a private course just outside of Hilton Head.
ROUND ONE LINEUP
Nos. 1-5: Peter Weaver, Ryan Pamer, Jason Lohwater, Vimal Alokam, Joshua Lavely
Only two members of the Villanova lineup have competed at the BIG EAST Championships before, as the other three are newcomers to the conference.
Weaver carded the Wildcats' best finish at last year's conference event, shooting a one-under to tie for eighth. The 2022 Second Team All-BIG EAST selection leads Villanova with a program-record 71.87 stroke average this year, owns five top-10 and four top-20 finishes this year with a medal earned at the Wildcat Spring Invitational and ranks third in the GolfStat BIG EAST individual rankings.
Pamer has impressed during his first season on the Main Line, totaling four top five placements while compiling a stroke average of 72.26 in 10 tournaments. Pamer comes in as the highest-rated freshman in the conference and ranks fifth overall.
Lohwater has appeared in 26 rounds since transferring from Bucknell, putting up just under 2,000 strokes on the year and earning two 10th place finishes.
Alokam shot a 20-over 236 in last season's BIG EAST, shooting seven birdies for third among VU golfers. The sophomore is averaging 76.96 strokes this year, with a low round of 68 in his 26 rounds.
Lavely rounds out the Villanova lineup on day one after participating in nine tournaments for the Wildcats, averaging 78.13 strokes during his freshman campaign.
UP NEXT: The men's tournament champion earns the BIG EAST's automatic bid to the NCAA Championship, and the individual medalist will receive an automatic invite if not already part of the winning team.
