|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
GRASONVILLE, Md. - The 14th Annual Fireline Towson Invitational Tournament gets underway this Friday morning with one round to open the 54-hole men’s golf event at Prospect Bay Country Club on Maryland's picturesque Eastern Shore.
CLICK HERE for live scoring.
In addition to the Tigers, the 22-team field includes: Bethune-Cookman, Binghamton, Canisius, Central Connecticut, Colgate, Cornell, Drexel, Fairfield, Fairleigh-Dickinson, Hartford, Lafayette, LIU, Loyola, Mt. St. Mary’s, Navy, Northern Colorado, Penn State, Sacred Heart, Seton Hall, St. Bonaventure and St. Peter’s.
The 2011 team champion, Kent State, is not in this year's lineup, nor is the defending individual champ, the Golden Flashes’ All-American John Hahn who was the medalist with a 1-under par 215. Hahn was the only golfer to shoot under par last year, becoming the first two-time winner in the history of the event.
Notable former Towson Invitational winners include second year PGA tour pro and 2011 Rookie of the Year Keegan Bradley of St. John’s and Navy’s Billy Hurley, the first academy graduate to make the PGA tour.
Towson finished second to the Golden Flashes last year. The Tigers won the inaugural event in 1999 and have placed second three times. Nyasha Mauchaza paced Towson with a tie for second with Navy’s Ben Hayes last year. Mauchaza’s final round included a school record 31 on the front nine.
Play will consist of 18 holes Friday, Saturday and Sunday with tee times beginning at 8:00 a.m. each day. The course will play 6,659 yards. Par is 72.
“We’re excited to host this tournament every year,” says Tiger coach Brian Yaniger. “With the help of our sponsor, Fireline, and the support we receive from the Prospect Bay folks we’re able to stage a first class event. Ten different conferences are represented bringing quality collegiate golf to the Eastern Shore. We hope fans will turn out to watch these guys. Admission is free.”
The Tigers are coming off a six-day West Coast trip where they competed in a match play event hosted by Cal Poly at Cypress Ridge in Arroya Grande, Calif. Towson placed sixth, bowing 2-3 to the host Mustangs, topping South Dakota State 3-2 and falling 2-3 to Utah State.
Sophomore Matt Fry, playing number one, and freshman D.J. Honan, playing number five, were double winners. Fry and sophomore Joe Gunerman, playing number two for the Tigers this year, are the only Towson players to have competed in the Fireline Towson Invitational in the past.
Fry tied for 38 with a 234 while Gunerman tied for 61 with a 239 last year. For Gunerman it was his only event of 2010-11. Fry is averaging 75.4 and Gunerman 76.0 going into this weekend’s tournament.
All eight players on Towson’s roster will play the event. Freshmen Matt Lutz and Brett Myers and junior Ken Jee will compete as individuals. Senior Justin Koehler, freshman Trevor Sluman, Fry, Gunerman and Honan will comprise Towson’s team.
“This is a big tournament for our players,” said Yaniger. “Based upon their play this weekend I’ll select the five who will travel the rest of the year.”
Live scoring and twitter updates (@Towson_MGOLF) will be available throughout the tournament!
Tournament History.
| Year | Champion (score) | Medalist (score) |
| 1999 | Towson 632 | Brad Foxwell (Towson) 154 |
| 2000 | Binghamton 904 | Hal Berman, Adam Fuchs (Binghamton) 223 |
| 2001 | Navy 591 | Ben Schubert (Loyola) 145 |
| 2002 | Loyola 578 | Billy Hurley (Navy) 139 |
| 2003 | Penn 625 | Chad Perman (Penn) 149 |
| 2004 | Liberty 867 | Alex Brueggemann (Towson) 211 |
| 2005 | Loyola 595 | T.J. Shuart (Loyola) 144 |
| 2006 | Richmond 576 | Andrew Turner (Liberty) 138 |
| 2007 | St. John's 579 | Keegan Bradley (St. John's) 142 |
| 2008 | Longwood 598 | Michael Mullieri (Loyola) 144 |
| 2009 | Kent State 853 | John Hahn (Kent State) 211 |
| 2010 | UNC Greensboro 866 | Mackenzie Hughes (Kent State) 213 |
| 2011 | Kent State 879 | John Hahn (Kent State) 215 |








