On Saturday, Feb. 21, the Villanova golf team traveled down to Savannah, GA, kicking off their spring campaign at the Savannah Intercollegiate at The Club at Savannah Harbor with a top-ten finish, ninth place, amongst 18 teams.
The two-day intercollegiate served as the Wildcats first look at outdoor competition since their first place finish this fall in the Big 5 Invitational.
Following the conclusion of Saturday play, Villanova finished tied for 11th place overall, as the ‘Cats shot 597 (+21) as a team on the day. Senior Matt Zerfass finished the day in 26th place individually after shooting 70 (-2) in the first round and 77 (+5) the second round, finishing the day at 147 (+3).
Senior Ryan Pamer followed for Villanova in 39th place, shooting a total score of 149 (+5) through the first two rounds. Sophomore Vibhav Alokam and graduate student Brockton English rounded out the scoring Wildcat golfers on day one. Alokam finished the day in 43rd, shooting 150 (+6), and eagled at hole four in the second round. English finished tied for 50th after shooting 151 (+7) through Saturday.
On day two, the Wildcats improved their score from day one to two by 6 strokes, shooting 303 (+15) on the day and 900 (+36) in the tournament. The ‘Cats performance on day two helped elevate the team two places for a top-10 finish after the third and final round.
“It was a great opportunity to have so many guys get in some early competition,” head coach James Wilkes said. “Having 4 days on the course was huge given the conditions we’ve had back home.”
Villanova team captains Pamer and Zerfass led the way for the squad, both shooting 224 (+8) in the tournament and finishing tied for 25th. English followed for the Wildcats, shooting 225 (+9) to finish tied for 28th. Alokam shot 227 (+11) and tied for 38th.
The University of West Georgia finished at the top out of the 18 teams that competed. They shot 888 (+24) throughout the two day tournament, and sophomore Milton Wallin finished in 2nd place overall shooting 215 (-1).
“We had a solid finish in a large field, so we’ll take it- there were a lot of good teams there- but I think everyone in that locker room expects more once we start up our regular practice schedule,” Wilkes said. “We’re definitely excited to get back to Georgia right after the break.”
Villanova golf continues their campaign on Thursday, March 12, where they will head to St. Simon’s Island to play in the People’s Championship hosted by Western Carolina. The tournament will continue through March 14.
