Reb Banas led Villanova men’s golf with a 54-hole score of 228 in a loaded field at the Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate. Villanova finished with a team score of 917, 54-over par. After a rough team total of 313 on the first day, Villanova bounced back and shot a 303 and a 301 over the next two days. Banas finished tied for 76th, at 12 over, while Mark Benevento came in with a 13 over total. Matt Minerva finished 3rd on the team and tied for 83rd overall with a 15 over score of 231. Jack O’Hara finished 85th at 19 over. 

Banas, in just his second tournament this season, recorded back to back 77’s on the first two rounds, before shooting a round of 74, including two birdies and 12 pars. Over 54 holes, Reb led the team with 38 pars. Mark Benevento shot a 79 on the final day, but put up a 76 and a 74 on the first two days. Benevento was tied for the team lead in birdies with six. Benevento finished second on the team in pars with 35, and finished second overall on the team. 

Freshman Matt Minerva tied with Benevento for the team lead in birdies with six, including three in a row to finish off his final round. That string of birdies brought him from 6 over all the way down to 3 over, while posting a tournament low round of 75. This stellar score followed a couple of 78’s on the first day, resulting in the third best finish on the team overall.     

Jack O’Hara finished fourth on the team, but really bounced back. After shooting an 82 on the first day, O’Hara shot 76 and 77 on days two and three. He had 26 pars and one birdie on his final 36 holes. Noah Peck shot an incredible -1 through his first six holes before he had to withdraw from the tournament. He still played the final two days for the team, where he shot 76 and 75, with 20 pars and 5 birdies over his last 36 holes. 

Overall, Villanova played decently, despite starting a very young group. The team competed hard against the stacked field that always appears at the Blackthorn Club at the Ridges in Jonesborough, Tenn. Villanova now heads down to Greensboro, N.C. for the Grandover Collegiate, a tournament Villanova did not compete at last year.