Eastern Michigan Athletics
Sunday, April 27
Grove City, Ohio
All Day
Eastern Michigan University
at
MAC Championship
Photo by: Walt Middleton Photography
Men’s Golf Set to Compete at MAC Championships
4/26/2025 3:03:00 PM | Men's Golf
Eagles will play in Grove City, Ohio, April 27-29
| 2025 MAC Championships | |
| Date | Sunday-Tuesday, April 27-29, 2025 |
| Venue | Pinnacle Golf Club (72/7,462) | Grove City, Ohio |
| Champ Info | MAC Championship Page |
| Notes/Stats | EMU Notes (pdf) |
| Live Results | Scoreboard |
| Social Media | X: EMU_Golf | Instagram: EasternMichiganMensGolf |
GROVE CITY, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University men's golf program enters postseason play this weekend as the Eagles will compete in the 2025 Mid-American Conference Championships at Pinnacle Golf Club in Grove City, Ohio, Sunday-Tuesday, April 27-29, with the team and individual champions earning the conference's automatic berth into the NCAA Regional event.
THIS WEEK'S LINE UP
Here are the Eagles that will compete at the 2025 MAC Championships:
» Rory McDonald-O'Brien (Jr.) • 73.7 avg. | Posted season-best T-8th at The Stitch Intercollegiate (April 12-13)
» Daniel Robles Delval (Jr.) • 73.8 avg. | Season-best 5th-place finish (-6, 210) at Desert Mountain (March 8-9)
» Tim Chan (Sr.) • 72.8 avg. | Carded a school-record 63 at White Sands; #2 all-time 54-hole scored 202 as well
» Bavake Sihota (Sr.) • 75.0 avg. | T-5th at the Kepler event for his first collegiate Top 5 showing (April 18-19)
» James Baxter (Fr.) • 74.2 avg. | Fired a team-best 68 (-4) in the second round at Southern Dunes
CHIP INS
» Eastern Michigan will be playing in the MAC Championships for the 52nd time since first playing at the 1973 event in Kalamazoo. The Eagles have captured three titles (2007, 2008, and 2019) and finished as the tournament's runner-up on six occasions (1981, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2012, and 2016).
» Of the five players in the lineup this week, all five have recorded at least one top 20 finish this season with four having placed in the top 10 at least once, including Bavake Sihota, who tied for fifth in the Robert Kepler Intercollegiate (April 17-18) in Columbus, Ohio.
» Bavake Sihota was named the MAC Co-Golfer of the Week (April 24) after tying for fifth at the Kepler event. He earned the third weekly award for the Eagles this year after Tim Chan (Nov. 1) and Daniel Robles Delval (March 17) each were honored this season.
» Through play at Robert Kepler Intercollegiate, three Eagles rank in the top 30 in program history for single-season stroke average, including Tim Chan (t-12th at 72.8), Rory McDonald-O'Brien (29th at 73.7), and Daniel Robles Delval (t-30th at 73.8). The three players in the top 30 tie for the second-most in a single season at EMU with the 2016-17 squad while the 2018-19 team placed four on the list to lead the way.
» As a team, the Eagles sport a 292.4 four-player season average, which currently is the fifth-best average in program history. It also is currently only the fifth season average at 293.5 or lower in EMU history.
» Tim Chan fired a program-record 63 in the second round at White Sands, surpassing the 64 shot six times previously by five different players with the last coming in 2018 (Tyler Lewis).
» Tim Chan finished third at White Sands with a 14-under 202. His 202 ranks as the second-lowest in program history behind Tyler Lewis' 200 (Feb. 25-26, 2018) at the Loyola Intercollegiate.
» 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.
GOLFER OF THE WEEK
Bavake Sihota was named the MAC Co-Golfer of the Week (April 24) after he shot 4-over 217 (70-75-72) to finish in a three-way tie with No. 91 Jordan Gilkison of Kent State (71-75-71) and Grent Feldman (72-75-70) of Creighton at the Robert Kepler Intercollegiate in Columbus, Ohio, April 18-19. Sihota, who shared this week's award with Gilkison, posted his second-best 54-hole score with the senior's best of 216 coming March 24-25 at the Bell Bank 'Pay It Forward' Intercollegiate. Overall, his fifth-place finish is the best of his career and marks the first top 5, top 10, and top 20 showings of his career. With his play, Sihota helped the Eagles shoot 41-over 893 (297-296-300) to finish sixth and secure wins over the Big Ten's Minnesota (7th) and No. 45 Colorado State (9th). The award is the first of Sihota's career and marked the third earned by EMU players this season. Tim Chan was the first Eagle to earn the award with his selection November 1 with Daniel Robles Delval earning the honor March 17.
TOURNAMENT INFO: MAC CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Pinnacle Golf Club will host the 2025 MAC Championships with the Grove City, Ohio, track playing as a 7,462-yard par-72 for the three-day event. Nine teams are in the field that will battle for the team and individual crowns, including Ball State, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Miami, Northern Illinois, Ohio, and Toledo. The 54-hole tournament will see 18 holes played each day (Sunday-Tuesday, April 27-29), with tee times set for 9 a.m. each day. Ball State is the defending champion while the Eagles are looking to improve on their sixth-place showing from 2024.
TOURNAMENT HISTORY: MAC CHAMPIONSHIPS
The MAC Championships have been held since 1947 when Wayne State captured the title at home in Detroit with Butler, Ohio, and Western Reserve finished behind it. Since first playing in the event in 1973 in Kalamazoo, the Eagles have captured three tournament titles, including crowns in 2007, 2008, and 2019, with runner-up showings six times (1981, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2012, and 2016). Since 1973, Kent State leads the way with 25 titles while Ball State ranks second with four while Eastern, Bowling Green, and Northern Illinois each have three titles to their names.
THE STAKES
Should the Eagles claim the team title at the MAC Championships, they would earn the league's automatic berth into the NCAA Regionals, marking the fourth time overall and the first since 2010 the Eagles have played in the event. Eastern earned automatic berths in both 2007 and 2008 as the champions of the MAC and earned an at-large invitation in 2010.
LAST TIME: 2024 MAC CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Eagles shot 18-over 882 to finish sixth at the 2024 MAC Championships at The Club at Chatham Hills in Westfield, Ind., with Ball State claiming the trophy at 10-under 854. Three Eagles placed in the top 20, including Patrick Deardorff, who tied for 17th at 4-over 220, while Cam Kellett and Nathaniel Gray Lamont both tied for 20th at 6-over 222. Deardorff's 220 strokes ranked as the second-lowest 54-hole score at the MAC Championships for an Eastern player while the team's 882 strokes is the lowest the team has posted in a 54-hole MAC event (the event was 72 holes until 2019).
RANKED TEAMS - MAC
Of the nine teams in the MAC Championships field, two are ranked in the top 100 of the April 24 Scoreboard/Clippd rankings with four others in the top 150. Kent State leads the way at No. 78 with Miami at No. 96. Toledo is the only other team in the top 125 as the Rockets are No. 119 this week. The three remaining teams in the top 150 include No. 132 Northern Illinois, No. 146 Ball State, and No. 147 Eastern Michigan. One player is currently ranked in the top 200 and that is No. 95 Jordan Gilkison of KSU.
CHAMPIONSHIP EXPERIENCE
EMU coaches and players are no stranger to conference championship success. Both coaches helped their teams to crowns with Head Coach Andy Walker leading VCU to the A-10 title in 2024 after a runner-up finish in 2022. Assistant Coach Ryan Yip, the 2005 MAC Champion and a member of three team championships at Kent State (2003, 2005, and 2006) as a player, helped KSU to MAC titles in both 2021 and 2022. On the course, Tim Chan competed for the Rams as they won the 2024 A-10 Championships while Daniel Robles Delval helped the Rogers State team to the 2022 MIAA Championship by placing third in the tournament.
RECAP: KEPLER
Bavake Sihota tied for fifth place while Tim Chan and Rory McDonald-O'Brien finished in the top 20 to help EMU to a sixth-place showing at the Robert Kepler Intercollegiate in Columbus, Ohio, April 18-19. The Eagles battled windy conditions on the par-72, 7,455-yard Scarlet Course at the Ohio State University Golf Club to finish ahead of two times ranked ahead of them, including No. 45 Colorado State and No. 106 Minnesota. The Eagles finished sixth overall at 41-over 893 with host No. 84 Ohio State winning the team title at 24-over 876. No. 82 Nebraska was second at 32-over 884 while No. 80 Kent State was third at 35-over 887. Eastern's sixth-place finish positioned them ahead of the Golden Gophers, who placed seventh at 50-over 902, and the ninth-place Rams, who shot 60-over 912.
ON THE LIST • INDIVIDUAL AVERAGE
Heading into the MAC Championships, three Eagles are ranked in the program's top 30 for best season scoring average with Tim Chan leading the way as his current 72.8 average ranks tied for 12th. Joining him on the list is Rory McDonald-O'Brien, who is 29th at 73.7, and Daniel Robles Delval, who is tied for 30th at 73.8. As it stands, to reach the top 20 on the list, a player will need to average 73.2 or better.
THREE'S COMPANY
With three players in the top 25 of single season scoring average, the 2024-25 Eagles are in rare company as the trio of Tim Chan, Daniel Robles Delval, and Rory McDonald-O'Brien are one of three sets of teammates on the current list. The 2018-19 squad, who won the MAC title, lead the way with four players in the top 25, including Beau Breault (1st at 71.8), Ty Celone (2nd at 71.9), Cougar Collins (t-18th at 73.1), and Zach Sudinsky (22nd at 73.4). The only other squad with three players on the same list is the 2016-17 Eagles that feature Kyle Rodes (3rd at 72.1), Jared Multer (t-25th at 73.6), and Nic Ross (t-25th at 73.6).
ON THE LIST • TEAM AVERAGE
As a team, the Eagles hold a four-player season average of 292.4, which is the fifth-lowest in program history (since 1969-70). One of just four squads to hold an average under 293.5, this year's team holds the best average since the 2019-20 team averaged 291.8 for the season to take the third position on the chart.
CHAN GOES LOW
Tim Chan made major edits to the program's record book as he added his name to the top of the single-round list and moved into second on the three-round tournament ledger after play at the White Sands event (Oct. 25-27). In the second round (Oct. 26), he carded an 11-under 63 to break the school record of 64 that was recorded six times by five different players with the last coming Feb. 26, 2018, but Tyler Lewis at the Loyola Intercollegiate. In that same tournament, Lewis finished with a 16-under 200 to set the school record for 54 holes with Chan's 202 in the Bahamas now ranking second all-time at EMU.
ON THE HORIZON
The Eagles' finish at the 2025 MAC Championships will determine if they advance to the NCAA Regionals or if their season ends. Official selections for the regional events will be revealed April 30 at 1 p.m. ET on the Golf Channel and NCAA.com.
THIS WEEK'S LINE UP
Here are the Eagles that will compete at the 2025 MAC Championships:
» Rory McDonald-O'Brien (Jr.) • 73.7 avg. | Posted season-best T-8th at The Stitch Intercollegiate (April 12-13)
» Daniel Robles Delval (Jr.) • 73.8 avg. | Season-best 5th-place finish (-6, 210) at Desert Mountain (March 8-9)
» Tim Chan (Sr.) • 72.8 avg. | Carded a school-record 63 at White Sands; #2 all-time 54-hole scored 202 as well
» Bavake Sihota (Sr.) • 75.0 avg. | T-5th at the Kepler event for his first collegiate Top 5 showing (April 18-19)
» James Baxter (Fr.) • 74.2 avg. | Fired a team-best 68 (-4) in the second round at Southern Dunes
CHIP INS
» Eastern Michigan will be playing in the MAC Championships for the 52nd time since first playing at the 1973 event in Kalamazoo. The Eagles have captured three titles (2007, 2008, and 2019) and finished as the tournament's runner-up on six occasions (1981, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2012, and 2016).
» Of the five players in the lineup this week, all five have recorded at least one top 20 finish this season with four having placed in the top 10 at least once, including Bavake Sihota, who tied for fifth in the Robert Kepler Intercollegiate (April 17-18) in Columbus, Ohio.
» Bavake Sihota was named the MAC Co-Golfer of the Week (April 24) after tying for fifth at the Kepler event. He earned the third weekly award for the Eagles this year after Tim Chan (Nov. 1) and Daniel Robles Delval (March 17) each were honored this season.
» Through play at Robert Kepler Intercollegiate, three Eagles rank in the top 30 in program history for single-season stroke average, including Tim Chan (t-12th at 72.8), Rory McDonald-O'Brien (29th at 73.7), and Daniel Robles Delval (t-30th at 73.8). The three players in the top 30 tie for the second-most in a single season at EMU with the 2016-17 squad while the 2018-19 team placed four on the list to lead the way.
» As a team, the Eagles sport a 292.4 four-player season average, which currently is the fifth-best average in program history. It also is currently only the fifth season average at 293.5 or lower in EMU history.
» Tim Chan fired a program-record 63 in the second round at White Sands, surpassing the 64 shot six times previously by five different players with the last coming in 2018 (Tyler Lewis).
» Tim Chan finished third at White Sands with a 14-under 202. His 202 ranks as the second-lowest in program history behind Tyler Lewis' 200 (Feb. 25-26, 2018) at the Loyola Intercollegiate.
» 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.
GOLFER OF THE WEEK
Bavake Sihota was named the MAC Co-Golfer of the Week (April 24) after he shot 4-over 217 (70-75-72) to finish in a three-way tie with No. 91 Jordan Gilkison of Kent State (71-75-71) and Grent Feldman (72-75-70) of Creighton at the Robert Kepler Intercollegiate in Columbus, Ohio, April 18-19. Sihota, who shared this week's award with Gilkison, posted his second-best 54-hole score with the senior's best of 216 coming March 24-25 at the Bell Bank 'Pay It Forward' Intercollegiate. Overall, his fifth-place finish is the best of his career and marks the first top 5, top 10, and top 20 showings of his career. With his play, Sihota helped the Eagles shoot 41-over 893 (297-296-300) to finish sixth and secure wins over the Big Ten's Minnesota (7th) and No. 45 Colorado State (9th). The award is the first of Sihota's career and marked the third earned by EMU players this season. Tim Chan was the first Eagle to earn the award with his selection November 1 with Daniel Robles Delval earning the honor March 17.
TOURNAMENT INFO: MAC CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Pinnacle Golf Club will host the 2025 MAC Championships with the Grove City, Ohio, track playing as a 7,462-yard par-72 for the three-day event. Nine teams are in the field that will battle for the team and individual crowns, including Ball State, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Miami, Northern Illinois, Ohio, and Toledo. The 54-hole tournament will see 18 holes played each day (Sunday-Tuesday, April 27-29), with tee times set for 9 a.m. each day. Ball State is the defending champion while the Eagles are looking to improve on their sixth-place showing from 2024.
TOURNAMENT HISTORY: MAC CHAMPIONSHIPS
The MAC Championships have been held since 1947 when Wayne State captured the title at home in Detroit with Butler, Ohio, and Western Reserve finished behind it. Since first playing in the event in 1973 in Kalamazoo, the Eagles have captured three tournament titles, including crowns in 2007, 2008, and 2019, with runner-up showings six times (1981, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2012, and 2016). Since 1973, Kent State leads the way with 25 titles while Ball State ranks second with four while Eastern, Bowling Green, and Northern Illinois each have three titles to their names.
THE STAKES
Should the Eagles claim the team title at the MAC Championships, they would earn the league's automatic berth into the NCAA Regionals, marking the fourth time overall and the first since 2010 the Eagles have played in the event. Eastern earned automatic berths in both 2007 and 2008 as the champions of the MAC and earned an at-large invitation in 2010.
LAST TIME: 2024 MAC CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Eagles shot 18-over 882 to finish sixth at the 2024 MAC Championships at The Club at Chatham Hills in Westfield, Ind., with Ball State claiming the trophy at 10-under 854. Three Eagles placed in the top 20, including Patrick Deardorff, who tied for 17th at 4-over 220, while Cam Kellett and Nathaniel Gray Lamont both tied for 20th at 6-over 222. Deardorff's 220 strokes ranked as the second-lowest 54-hole score at the MAC Championships for an Eastern player while the team's 882 strokes is the lowest the team has posted in a 54-hole MAC event (the event was 72 holes until 2019).
RANKED TEAMS - MAC
Of the nine teams in the MAC Championships field, two are ranked in the top 100 of the April 24 Scoreboard/Clippd rankings with four others in the top 150. Kent State leads the way at No. 78 with Miami at No. 96. Toledo is the only other team in the top 125 as the Rockets are No. 119 this week. The three remaining teams in the top 150 include No. 132 Northern Illinois, No. 146 Ball State, and No. 147 Eastern Michigan. One player is currently ranked in the top 200 and that is No. 95 Jordan Gilkison of KSU.
CHAMPIONSHIP EXPERIENCE
EMU coaches and players are no stranger to conference championship success. Both coaches helped their teams to crowns with Head Coach Andy Walker leading VCU to the A-10 title in 2024 after a runner-up finish in 2022. Assistant Coach Ryan Yip, the 2005 MAC Champion and a member of three team championships at Kent State (2003, 2005, and 2006) as a player, helped KSU to MAC titles in both 2021 and 2022. On the course, Tim Chan competed for the Rams as they won the 2024 A-10 Championships while Daniel Robles Delval helped the Rogers State team to the 2022 MIAA Championship by placing third in the tournament.
RECAP: KEPLER
Bavake Sihota tied for fifth place while Tim Chan and Rory McDonald-O'Brien finished in the top 20 to help EMU to a sixth-place showing at the Robert Kepler Intercollegiate in Columbus, Ohio, April 18-19. The Eagles battled windy conditions on the par-72, 7,455-yard Scarlet Course at the Ohio State University Golf Club to finish ahead of two times ranked ahead of them, including No. 45 Colorado State and No. 106 Minnesota. The Eagles finished sixth overall at 41-over 893 with host No. 84 Ohio State winning the team title at 24-over 876. No. 82 Nebraska was second at 32-over 884 while No. 80 Kent State was third at 35-over 887. Eastern's sixth-place finish positioned them ahead of the Golden Gophers, who placed seventh at 50-over 902, and the ninth-place Rams, who shot 60-over 912.
ON THE LIST • INDIVIDUAL AVERAGE
Heading into the MAC Championships, three Eagles are ranked in the program's top 30 for best season scoring average with Tim Chan leading the way as his current 72.8 average ranks tied for 12th. Joining him on the list is Rory McDonald-O'Brien, who is 29th at 73.7, and Daniel Robles Delval, who is tied for 30th at 73.8. As it stands, to reach the top 20 on the list, a player will need to average 73.2 or better.
THREE'S COMPANY
With three players in the top 25 of single season scoring average, the 2024-25 Eagles are in rare company as the trio of Tim Chan, Daniel Robles Delval, and Rory McDonald-O'Brien are one of three sets of teammates on the current list. The 2018-19 squad, who won the MAC title, lead the way with four players in the top 25, including Beau Breault (1st at 71.8), Ty Celone (2nd at 71.9), Cougar Collins (t-18th at 73.1), and Zach Sudinsky (22nd at 73.4). The only other squad with three players on the same list is the 2016-17 Eagles that feature Kyle Rodes (3rd at 72.1), Jared Multer (t-25th at 73.6), and Nic Ross (t-25th at 73.6).
ON THE LIST • TEAM AVERAGE
As a team, the Eagles hold a four-player season average of 292.4, which is the fifth-lowest in program history (since 1969-70). One of just four squads to hold an average under 293.5, this year's team holds the best average since the 2019-20 team averaged 291.8 for the season to take the third position on the chart.
CHAN GOES LOW
Tim Chan made major edits to the program's record book as he added his name to the top of the single-round list and moved into second on the three-round tournament ledger after play at the White Sands event (Oct. 25-27). In the second round (Oct. 26), he carded an 11-under 63 to break the school record of 64 that was recorded six times by five different players with the last coming Feb. 26, 2018, but Tyler Lewis at the Loyola Intercollegiate. In that same tournament, Lewis finished with a 16-under 200 to set the school record for 54 holes with Chan's 202 in the Bahamas now ranking second all-time at EMU.
ON THE HORIZON
The Eagles' finish at the 2025 MAC Championships will determine if they advance to the NCAA Regionals or if their season ends. Official selections for the regional events will be revealed April 30 at 1 p.m. ET on the Golf Channel and NCAA.com.
Players Mentioned
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