Golf Off to New Mexico for Tucker Intercollegiate

2024 William H. Tucker Intercollegiate
Date	Friday-Saturday, Sept. 20-11, 2024
Venue	UNM Championship Course \| Albuquerque, N.M.
Course Information	Par: 72 \| Yardage: 7,546
Live Stats	Live Scoring (GolfStat.com)
EMU Notes	Weekly Notes
Social Media	X: EMU_Golf \| Instagram: EasternMichiganMensGolf

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (EMUEagles.com) — The Eastern Michigan University men's golf team is back in action this weekend as they travel to the Land of Enchantment to take part in the 2024 William H. Tucker Intercollegiate, hosted by the University of New Mexico, in Albuquerque, N.M., Friday-Saturday, Sept. 20-21. The Eagles, one of 17 teams set to compete in the tournament, will play on the par-72, 7,546-yard UNM Championships Course.

THIS WEEK'S LINE UP
Here are the Eagles that will compete at the William H. Tucker Intercollegiate:
1. James Baxter (Fr.) • 71.0 avg. | Finished 3-under (T-12) at Southern Dunes in his collegiate debut (Sept. 9-10)
2. Tim Chan (Sr.) • 70.33 avg. | Shot 5-under (T-8) at the Southern Dunes Invitational
3. Rory McDonald-O'Brien (Jr.) • Making his EMU debut after playing two years at South Carolina Aiken
4. Bavake Sihota (Sr.) • 73.0 avg. | Third on the team at Southern Dunes in his EMU debut
5. Matthew Rastogi (Fr.) • 72.67 avg. | Shot 2-over (T-32) as an individual at Southern Dunes in collegiate debut

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
The William H. Tucker Intercollegiate has been held each year since 1955 and hosted by New Mexico. The three-round tournament will see teams tee off in a shotgun start Friday, Sept. 20, at 7:45 a.m. local (9:45 a.m. ET) with the second-round play to immediately follow. The third and final round will be played Saturday, Sept. 21, with the shotgun start set for 7:45 a.m. local (9:45 a.m. ET). The par-72 UNM Championship Course will measure 7,546 yards for the event and will feature 17 teams, including the host Lobos, who qualified for the 2024 NCAA Championships. The remainder of the field includes Arkansas State, Colorado, Fresno State, Grand Canyon, Long Beach State, Loyola Marymount, New Mexico State, Oral Roberts, San Diego State, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Stetson, UNLV, USC, and UTEP.

IN THE RANKINGS
The 2024-25 Preseason Bushnell/Golfweek DI Coaches Poll was released Sept. 6 with two teams the Eagles will be facing at the Southern Dunes Collegiate earning votes. Although only sending individual players, Arizona State enters the season ranked second nationally while tournament host USC is receiving votes (just outside the top 25).

IT'S YOU AGAIN
Three familiar foes will be on the course with the Eagles this week, including players from Fresno State, Grand Canyon, and USC, all of whom Eastern played against at the season-opening Southern Dunes Invitational.

CHIP INS

Eastern opened its season at the Southern Dunes Invitational, Sept. 9-10, in Maricopa, Ariz., and placed fifth overall in the eight-team field with a 7-under, 857. The stroke total ranks as tied for the 13th-lowest in program history and is just two off the season-low total for the 2023-24 campaign.
Tim Chan was the top finisher for the Eagles as he tied for eighth place with a 5-under, 211. The 211 is the third-lowest total of his collegiate career.
All seven players in the tournament made their EMU debuts, including two freshmen: James Baxter, who tied for 12th (3-under, 213), and Matthew Rastogi, who tied for 32nd (2-over, 218).
Andy Walker was named the 2023-24 Black College Golf Coaches Association Coach of the Year for the second time in his career after guiding his former school, VCU, to another stellar season.
The Eagles' roster features nine athletes, all of whom are new to the program. Included on the list are three seniors, two juniors, one sophomore, and three freshmen.

RECAP: SOUTHERN DUNES COLLEGIATE
Eastern opened the tournament firing 2-over (290) in the first round before rebounding to combine to shoot a 7-under (281) in the second, moving from a tie for seventh place up to a tie for third with San Diego. In the final round, played Sept. 10, Eastern shot 2-under (286) to finish fifth overall at 7-under (857). USC won the team event at 28-under (836) with Grand Canyon (843) second at 21-under and Fresno State (854) third at 10-under. The Toreros of USD finished fourth at nine-under (855) with Georgia State (5-under, 859), Kansas State (1-under, 863), and Kennesaw State (1-over, 865) rounding out the field.

GOING LOW
As a team, the Eagles posted a pair of scores that rank highly in program history. Overall, the 857 strokes in the tournament tied for the 13th-lowest in EMU history and were just two shots off the low total from the 2023-24 season. Additionally, the team's 281 score in the second round tied for the 24th-lowest in program history.

STRONG DEBUT
Individually, Tim Chan was the top finisher for Eastern as he carded a 5-under (211) by shooting rounds of 71-70-70, making him the lone Eagle to break par in all three rounds. Chan's 211 ranks as the third-lowest score in his NCAA Division I career, surpassed only by the 208 (2024 NCAA Chapel Hill Regional) and 209 (2024 Hal Williams Collegiate) he fired for VCU last year. At Southern Dunes, Chan was one of only 12 players in the field to break par on Par 4s as he shot 2-under (3.93) while shooting 6-under (4.50) on Par 5s.

MAKING DEBUTS • TRANSFERS
The seven individuals that competed for Eastern at the Southern Dunes Invitational (Sept. 9-10) made their EMU debuts with five of those players playing after transferring in from other institutions. Along Tim Chan (VCU), the transfers that represented EMU included Bavake Sihota (Michigan), who was 3-over (219, T-35), Daniel Robles Delval (Rogers State), who finished 4-over (220, T-37), Pietro Fenoglio (TCU), who shot 9-over (225, 49), and Lucas Hughes (Grand Canyon), who was 12-over (228, T-52).

MAKING DEBUTS • FRESHMEN
The remaining two players in the field at Southern Dunes for Eastern included James Baxter (London, England) and Matthew Rastogi (Toronto, Ontario), both of whom also made their collegiate debuts. Baxter had a strong outing as he tied for 12th at 3-under (213) and led the team with its two lowest rounds of the tournament after firing 68 in Round 2 and 69 in Round 3. Rastogi, who was playing as an individual, carded a 2-over (218) to finish tied for 32nd, which was the third-highest finish of all Eagles in the tournament.

LOGGING MILES
Eastern will play a national schedule this year that will stretch from coast to coast, and a little beyond. Starting with the opening week of the fall slate, the Eagles will play in their first of three events in Arizona while also heading once each to New Mexico and Nevada. Eastern also will take part in events on the eastern coast with two trips to Florida, one to North Carolina and one to the Bahamas. The remainder of the schedule will see the Eagles play three events in the state of Ohio, including the 2025 MAC Championships in Grove City to close out the regular season.

NOTING WALKER
Andy Walker is set to start his first season at the helm of the Eastern men's program in 2024-25 with the Phoenix native taking his Eagles to the Grand Canyon State three times this year. A Tour player from 1999-10 before becoming the Senior Instructor & Director of Player Development at the Golf Channel Academy (2011-18), Walker has worked with teams at several different collegiate levels. He got his start in collegiate coaching as the head coach at South Mountain Community College (Phoenix) from 2013-18 where he guided the Cougars to a pair of NJCAA Division II National Championships (2015 & 2016). Walker then moved on to Lynn University (Boca Raton, Fla.) and helped the Knights to an NCAA Division II National Championship (2019). Following his stint at LU (2018-21), Walker took over at VCU (2021-24) where he led the Rams to one Atlantic 10 Championship and one runner-up crown. He was twice named the Black Collegiate Golf Coaches Association Coach of the Year, including last season.

FANTASTIC FACILITIES
The GameAbove Golf Performance Center opened its doors Jan. 16, 2024, for the men's and women's golf teams to utilize for their preparations each season. The two-story facility, perched elegantly overlooking the 18th green and Ford Lake, was made possible through an $8 million gift from GameAbove, a dedicated group of Eastern Michigan alumni. The facility stands as a testament to EMU's commitment to excellence in collegiate golf. This state-of-the-art training complex, spanning 13,000 square feet, is designed to propel the Eastern men's and women's golf teams to new heights of success. With lockerrooms, meeting spaces, indoor putting and chipping areas, and cutting-edge simulators, the facility provides an unparalleled training environment for all elements of the game.

The building features a dedicated practice range, spanning 6,619 square feet, which offers student-athletes the opportunity to hone their skills with targeted training sessions. A specialized area covering 5,383 square feet has been designated for chipping and putting, ensuring that every aspect of the game is meticulously addressed in the training regimen. Additionally, the inclusion of two TrackMan 4 Simulators, totaling 1,974 square feet, adds a cutting-edge dimension to the training experience. These simulators bring the outdoor game indoors, allowing for precision training regardless of external conditions.

ON THE HORIZON
The Eagles return to action, Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 28-29, when they travel to Nashport, Ohio, to compete in the Virtues Intercollegiate. The two-day event will be played at The Virtues Golf Course and will feature 17 teams, including four other MAC institutions in Bowling Green, Kent State, Miami, and Ohio.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

James Baxter

Tim Chan

Pietro Fenoglio

Lucas Hughes

Rory McDonald-O'Brien

Matthew Rastogi

Daniel Robles Delval

Bavake Sihota

Eastern Michigan Athletics