April 19, 2007
2007 Patriot League Men's Golf Championship Page
Center Valley, Pa. -- Due to recent bad weather in the Northeast, Bucknell University will serve as the site for the 2007 Patriot League Golf Championship, scheduled for Saturday, April 21 and Sunday, April 22. Army was scheduled to host the tournament, but excessive rainfall forced the relocation of the Patriot League Championship to Bucknell Golf Course in Lewisburg, Pa.
The 54-hole tournament starts at 8 a.m. on Saturday with 36 holes of play scheduled. The final round will be played on Sunday, also beginning at 8 a.m. This weekend's winner will earn an automatic bid to one of three NCAA Regional sites on May 17-19.
Bucknell is the reigning Patriot League champion after edging Army by two strokes at last year's championship, which was played at the U.S. Naval Academy Golf Course in Annapolis, Md. It was the first Patriot League title for the Bison in the sport of golf.
Senior Charlie Waddell (Wilmette, Ill.) of Bucknell added to the historic event for the Bison, as he became the first Patriot League golfer to win consecutive individual titles. Waddell posted a score of 210, and easily outdistanced the rest of the field with his 10-stroke victory. He also owns the lowest 54-hole Patriot League score (209), which he achieved winning the 2005 Championship at the Bucknell Golf Course. He is also coming off his fourth career win at the rain-shortened Lafayette Invitational.
The Patriot League Championship is a two-day, 54-hole tournament. Both a team and individual champion will be crowned. The lowest 18-hole score in Patriot League Championship history was a 65, carded by Bucknell's Ben Pellicani at the 2005 Championship and Army's Kevin Lee in 2002.
The Black Knights have won nine of the 16 titles in League history. Navy has won four and Lehigh the remaining two. Colgate, Holy Cross and Lafayette will all be seeking their first-ever Patriot League team championship.
A year ago, both Bucknell and Army advanced to NCAA Regional competition. That marked the first time in Patriot League history that two schools represented the League in post-season play in the same year.
Aside from Waddell, junior Rahul Desai (Avon, Conn.) of Bucknell is looking to continue his strong play following a fourth-place finish at the Lafayette Invitational.
Nine-time Patriot League champion Army enters the 2007 Championship with three members from last year's All-League team returning. Leading the way is Junior Patrick Beverly (Humble, Texas), who earned All-League honors in 2006, and finished runner-up at last weekend's New England Championship, where the Black Knights earned fourth-place honors. Classmate Joey Cave (El Cajon, Calif.) also earned All-League honors in 2006 for his third-place finish.
Colgate returns its highest finisher from last year's championship in junior Ricky Hayes (Ridgefield, Conn.). In 2006, Hayes finished tied for fifth place after sharing 12th-place honors in 2005. He placed fourth at last week's Lafayette Invitational in Colgate's best performance this spring.
Junior Matt Czarnecki (Greenwich, Conn.) of Holy Cross was among seven players who tied for 12th place at the U.S. Naval Academy Golf Course a year ago after earning All-Patriot League honors in 2005 with his eighth-place finish.
Lafayette sophomore Anoop Shah (Calabasas, Calif.) is the top returnee for the Leopards from a year ago after recording a 22nd-place finish in his Patriot League Championship debut. Senior Dave Rahal (Mahwah, N.J.) led Lafayette with a 12th place tie at the Lafayette Invitational last weekend.
Senior Alan Borowsky (Bala Cynwyd, Pa.) of Lehigh is coming off Patriot League Golfer of the Month accolades for his play in March. He is also the top finisher back for the Mountain Hawks in 2007 after his tie for 12th a year ago. Borowsky finished second at the Lafayette Invitational, while freshman Matt Denison (Northbrook, Ill.) tied for fourth. Among the past Patriot League individual champions is first-year Lehigh Head Coach Henry D'Alberto, who led the Mountain Hawks to the 1996 team title.
Two golfers from Navy - junior Chris Renninger (Darnestown, Md.) and sophomore Ryan Wielgus (Bethesda, Md.) - are looking to repeat as All-Patriot League performers. Wielgus was also the Rookie of the Year a year ago after his tie for eighth place, while Renninger tied for fifth on his home course in 2006. Sophomore Chip Hardie (Arnold, Md.) was the top finisher for the Mids at last weekend's Princeton Invitational.
Bucknell has hosted three previous Patriot League Championships (1994, 2000 and 2005).
