Elverson, Pa. — Villanova Golf will conclude its fall slate of tournaments with the Big 5 Championship. Temple University will host the yearly event on Thursday, Oct. 29 at Stonewall Links – Old Course. The Wildcats won the event last year, shooting one stroke under Drexel to win with 293 strokes. Villanova's own Matt Zerfass was the overall victor, shooting one under par.
 
The Event
The Big 5 Championship will consist of one 18-hole round, with the leading team earning the title. The event will kick off with tee times, with the first wave starting at 10:00 a.m. and another wave at 11:00 a.m. There will be five other teams competing, those being Drexel, LaSalle, Saint Joseph's, Temple, and Penn. Each team will feature six golfers, with four counting to the round's score. This is the fourth year under the rebranded "Big 5" name, continuing the tradition created as the "City Six".
 
The Course
The Old Course is one of two courses at Stonewall Links. This walking-only golf course is known for its thinner corridors, demanding precise accuracy and distance. The Old Course has hosted several prestigious events since its opening in July 1993, including the Pennsylvania Open, the Philadelphia Amateur and the Philadelphia Open.
 
Wildcats Lineup
James Wilkes will trot out almost an entirely new lineup than what his team won with last year, however most of which have been mainstays so far this season.
 
Vibhav Alokam will hit first, as he has for the past four tournaments. Alokam is the only golfer in the lineup who competed in this event last year, placing seventh. The then-sophomore shot three over par, totaling 73 shots. Alokam shot +3 last week as well, placing 15^th at the Blue Hen Intercollegiate.
 
Evan Rohde will shoot second for the fourth straight time. The freshman has had a great start to his career, finishing as one of the top two Villanova golfers in each event this season. He averages 73.43 strokes per round and has a team-high six rounds at par or lower.
 
Luke Leonard and Cameron Besaw are the next two Wildcats to tee off. Both golfers tied for 34^th at the Blue Hen Invitational last week, shooting 225. Leonard tees off third, a spot he has frequented in over the season, and Besaw shoots fourth.
 
AJ Colonna will shoot fifth after a career performance at the Blue Hen Invitational. He shot a career low 221 over 54 holes, and all three of his rounds were at or below his previous 18-hole low of 75.
 
Senior Peter Barros concludes the lineup in sixth. He made his season debut as an individual at the Blue Hen Invitational and did not disappoint. His score of 221 would have been good for third in the Wildcat lineup, and was his best performance since his freshman year. He started strong with a 71-stroke opening round, and closed shooting 76 (+4) in the second round and 74 (+2) in round three.
 
Live scoring of the Big 5 Championship can be found here on SCOREBOARD Live.