• Sport Home
• |
• Roster
• |
• Schedule
• |
• Stats
• |
• Archives

Sept. 6, 2007

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Navy men's golf team opens its 2007 fall campaign Saturday, playing host to the Navy Fall Invitational. Saturday and Sunday's action will take place at the par 71 USNA Golf Course in Annapolis with 18 holes set for both days. Teams will tee-off between 8:30 and 11:00 am on both days.

The Midshipmen will field four teams - Navy Blue, Gold, White and Gray - in the 17-team tournament, along with Brown, Delaware, George Washington, La Salle, Maryland (Red and White), N.C. State, North Dakota St., Rutgers, Saint Augustine, Saint Francis, Saint Joseph's and Seton Hall.

In the 13 years the Navy Fall Invitational has been played, only two teams have claimed the tournament title more than once - Navy and George Mason. The Mids won the tournament in 1993 and again in '95 and '96, while the Patriots won the inaugural invitational in 1992 and again in 2005. Navy is the only previous winner among this year's field, though Maryland and Seton Hall have been victorious in the Mids' annual spring tournament.

Last fall, Loyola (290-286 - 576) became the 10th different winner of the annual Navy Fall Golf Invitational after shaving off four strokes from its score in the first round. The Greyhounds moved up from a fourth-place tie with St. Bonaventure to claim the title over Winthrop (289-289 - 578) and Penn (292-286 - 578) by two strokes. Loyola's Blake Ferguson staged a run at the individual title by shooting the low round of the day with a 2-under par 69, but North Dakota State senior Eric Johnson earned medalist recognition by defeating Ferguson in a play-off.

After losing just one letterwinner off last year's squad, head coach Pat Owen is anxious to get back out on the links and build upon the progress his Midshipmen had made by the end of last spring.

"We are looking forward to hosting the fall classic in what I think is an outstanding field," said the 17th-year coach. "We have a deep roster this year and will be putting four Navy teams out on the course this weekend. We are expecting great weather over the next few days and the course is in great condition. I'm looking forward to starting off the season on a positive note by playing on our home course."

The Mids capped off the 2007 spring campaign with a second-place finish at the Patriot League Tournament played at the Bucknell University Golf Course in Lewisburg, Pa. A pair of players garnered All-Patriot League kudos, including 2007-08 team captain Chris Renninger (Darnestown, Md.) who finished the tournament in second place with a 3-over par 213 and garnered all-league recognition for the second-straight year. One of the most improved players on the team, he cut nearly four strokes off his average between his sophomore and junior years. He finished the 2006-07 season with a team-low 75.6 stroke average that featured five top-20 finishes, three top-10 showings and a pair of top-five marks. In addition to his success on the links, Renninger was named an ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American by the College Sports Information Directors of America and the Patriot League Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Returning to the lineup is Chip Hardie (Arnold, Md.) who capped off a strong sophomore season by being named to the All-Patriot League Team. The local product finished the year with a 76.8 stroke average that featured a pair of top-10 finishes and three top-20 showings, including a sixth-place finish at the league championship.

Juniors Eric Stinson (Spotsylvania, Va.) and Ryan Wielgus (Bethesda, Md.) are expected to shine for the Mids this season. All three have been regulars in the lineup since their arrival at the Academy. Stinson owned Navy's second-lowest stroke average a year ago with a 76.0. He turned in five top-20 finishes, including two top-10 marks, and finished among the top 18 at the league championship. Wielgus finished his second year at the academy with a 76.6 stroke average where he recorded four top-20 marks, including two top-10 finishes and one top-five showing.

Playing in his final Navy Fall Golf Invitational is senior Erich Schoen (Sylvania, Ohio), who turned in a 76.5 stroke average last year. He has placed in the top 20 in two of the three Navy invites in which he has taken part. He has finished among the top 20 in 10 tournaments during his career, including a trio of top-10 marks.

Six new faces have joined the Navy golf team this fall - Steve 'Beau' Guidry (Durham, N.C.), Ben Hayes (Carmichael, Calif.), Blaine Henning (Simonton, Texas), Marcus Heyland (Fort Madison, Iowa), Rob Merkert (Severna Park, Md.) and Josh Ziska (Camarillo, Calif.) - and will see action in this weekend's tournament.

2007 Fall Schedule: Sept. 8-9 - Navy Fall Invitational (Annapolis, Md.); Sept. 21-23 - Sea Trail Intercollegiate (Sunset Beach, N.C.); Sept. 29-30 - Army - Star Match (Annapolis, Md.); Oct. 6-7 - Scotty Duncan Memorial (Stanton, Del.); Oct. 13-14 - Big 5 Classic (Fourtown, Pa.); Oct. 22-23 - Sycuan Collegiate Invitational (El Cajon, Calif.).