Villanova enters this tournament ranked as the #8 seed. They will face off against #1 seeded Marquette. All BIG EAST teams besides Georgetown and Seton Hall will be competing in this tournament. The bracket-style tournament will include eight seeded teams, with the Wildcats facing either #4 Butler or #5 St. John’s on Monday afternoon depending on the results of the morning match against the Golden Eagles.

Tuesday marks the conclusion of the event, where the Wildcats will be battling either for position in consolation matches or in the winner’s bracket for a team championship. All eight teams will compete in all three rounds.

THE COURSE

Bear Lakes, a club with two par 72 courses designed by decorated golfer Jack Nicklaus, will host this event. The 7,452-yard course, The Links, was renovated in 2007 and resembles courses that are common in the Scottish area. They have hosted PGA Tour Qualifying (Q) School three times: in 1995, 2001, and 2009. Most notably, Rickie Fowler earned his Q School card the last time Bear Lakes held the event.

THE LINEUP

Ryan Pamer currently ranks as the #7 golfer in the BIG EAST. He finished the fall season averaging a 72.3 stroke average and won an individual title at the BIG 5 Championship his last time in competition. He will occupy the first spot for the Wildcats in this event.

Matt Zerfass comes in at spot two, the place in which he finished four times during the fall season, including his two most recent appearances. The junior maintains a 75.4 average and finished second among all Villanova golfers at the BIG 5 Championship.

Vibhav Alokam will continue his stellar freshman season, taking the third spot in West Palm Beach.  The two-time top 20 finisher in the fall was one of two Wildcats to appear in every fall event and averaged a 74.9 average across those six events.

The graduate transfer, Gus Vickers, will be in the fourth spot. He competed in the final two tournaments of the fall, rounding out his transition to Division I golf. He holds a 79.5 stroke average and had a top finish of tied for 21^st at the Chestnut Hill Invitational.

Jackson Lehner, one of two top five finishers that Villanova is deploying for match play slots in at spot five. He came in fifth at Chestnut Hill, shooting 81-78 over the 36 holes.

In the sixth spot for Villanova is Nathan Marion. The sophomore competed in four events, totaling a 77.5 stroke average. Most notably, he shot the lowest out of all Wildcats on a Bethpage Black course that ranks the sixth toughest in the United States according to Golf Digest. He recorded an eagle and finished fifth among all competitors during 30+ mile per hour winds.

Cameron Besaw competed in two events during the fall and returns to action this week in the seven spot. He averaged a 76.2 stroke average and shot a season-low 70 in the second round of the Doc Gimmler on Bethpage Red in September.

UP NEXT

Over the next two days, the Wildcats will play in this 54-hole tournament before a month off to prepare for the Peoples Championship, hosted by Western Carolina University.

SOCIAL

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