RICHMOND, Ky. – The Eastern Kentucky University men’s golf team begins its 2025 spring season this Sunday hosting the Mesquite Desert Classic at Casablanca Resort & Casino in Mesquite, NV.
 
The 54-hole tournament will take place over three days from Feb. 16-18 with one round taking place each day on the Casablanca Course playing as a par-72, at 7,010 yards.
 
EKU will host 11 other teams out west in a field featuring Bellarmine, Bowling Green St., Cal Poly, Idaho, Morehead St., Northern Kentucky, Ohio, Seattle, Utah Tech, Utah Valley, and Western Kentucky.
 
The Colonels enter the spring season coming off a strong start in 2024 that featured two top-five finishes including a team win at the Colonel Shootout back in Sept. the first win for the program since 2018.
 
This Sunday also marks the beginning of Pat Stephens‘ second era as head coach of EKU after being named the program’s head coach back in January. Stephens first coached the Colonels for 21 years from 1997-2018.
 
Competing for the Colonels will be Anders Larson, Connor Gdovin, Jackson Finney, Zach Watterson, and Isaac Meador. Competing as an individual from EKU is Carl Space.
 
Larson led the Colonels statistically through their first five tournaments of the season in the fall with a scoring average of 71.87 through 15 rounds played. The junior transfer from Tennessee Tech also recorded two top-ten finishes.
 
Gdovin enters his first spring with EKU after a successful fall that saw him win the Colonel Shootout in September.
 
Finney posted a scoring average of 73.6 in the fall’s five tournaments with his best finish being at even-par for the Colonel Shootout where he finished 15th.
 
Watterson is only one of three Colonels to have a top-five finish this season finishing third at five-under at the Colonel Shootout which included a first-round 68.
 
The Desert Classic marks only the second tournament of the season for Meador who has not competed since the Colonel Shootout where he finished tied for 15th at even par for the tournament.