Georgetown's back-nine rally nets Big East Championship
The Georgetown Hoyas (Big East photo)
CALLAWASSIE ISLAND, SC (May 1, 2018) - After losing its lead early in the final round, Georgetown rallied in the final holes to edge Marquette by three strokes and win the BIG EAST Men's Golf Championship Presented by Jeep at the Callawassie Golf Club. The title is the second in three years for the Hoyas.
As the BIG EAST champion, Georgetown earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship. Marquette is hopeful of an at-large bid. NCAA Golf Championship selections will be announced on Wednesday.
Individually, Marquette freshman Hunter Eichhorn won medalist honors by carding a two-under-par 214 for the 54 holes. He shot an even-par 72 in the final round. Teammate Matt Murlick shot the lowest round of the day, a four-under-par 68, and tied for second place at even-par 216. He tied Seton Hall's Chris Yeom for the tournament runner-up award. Yeom carded at 71 in the final round.
Georgetown, which led after the first and second rounds, fell behind by as many as eight strokes before coming back to earn the tournament crown. The Hoyas posted a three-day team score of 884 ( 20) for the three days with Marquette finishing at 887 ( 23). DePaul took third place, 13 strokes behind Marquette, at 900 ( 36).
"We were in a dogfight today," said Georgetown coach Tommy Hunter, who won his fourth BIG EAST title. "We talk about golf being 18 holes, not 14-15 holes. We never ever panicked. It's just the nature of these guys. It's maturity, too."
Senior Jack Musgrave finished fourth overall with a one-over-par 217. Sophomore Eduardo Blochtein took fifth place at 219. Musgrave shot a 73 in the final round and Blochtein came in with a three-under-par 69. Senior Cole Berman tied for 10th at 224. He finished in the top 10 at the BIG EAST Championship in all four years of his collegiate career.
DePaul's third-place finish was anchored by the play of Charlie Spencer White and Joey McCarthy. Spencer White finished in a tie for sixth with a four-over-par 220. McCarthy tied for eighth place at 223 ( 7).
Runner-up Yeom was the leader for fourth-place Seton Hall. Gen Nagai helped the Pirates by tying for 12th by finishing at 226 ( 10).
Butler's Patrick Allgeier tied DePaul's Spencer White for sixth place at 220 ( 4) and helped the Bulldogs take fifth place. Xavier moved from eighth to sixth on the final day of play. Garrett Wood finished in a tie for eighth with DePaul's McCarthy at 223 ( 7).
Villanova took seventh place, finishing five strokes behind Xavier. The Wildcats' Andy Butler tied for 10th place at 224 ( 8). St. John's took eighth and was led by Ross Moore, who tied for 12th at 226 ( 10). The top performer for ninth-place Creighton was Nate Vontz, who finished 23rd at 231 ( 15).
ABOUT THE Big East Championship
54 hole men's collegiate championship of the Big
East Conference. Team (best four scores out of five
players each round) and individual competitions.
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