The 86th edition of the Army-Navy Men's Golf Star Match  got underway Thursday at the Naval Academy Golf Course with the Midshipmen sweeping the fourball matches to take a 4-0 lead. The two teams will return to the links on Friday with seven singles matches on tap to begin at 8:30 am. The first team to reach six points will be declared the winner.

This is only the third time in the last 22 meetings that one of the two teams has swept the fourball competition. Army led Navy 4-0 en route to a 10-1 victory in 2014, while in 2002, Navy held a 4-0 lead before securing the 8-3 win. Meanwhile, this is just the second time in the last 14 Star Matches and the first since 2016 that Navy has held the lead after the opening day of competition.

Both of Navy's first two wins came after play completed on the 15th hole. Navy team captain Benjamin Valdez (Jr / Stevenson Ranch, Calif.) and Noah Nuez (Jr / Laveen, Ariz.) provided the Mids with their first win behind a 5&3 victory over Army's James Ballato (Sr) and Zach Clark (Fr), while Jack Tarzy (So / Medford, N.J.) and Jack Teuschl (Fr / Oakton, Va.) put the Mids up 2-0 with a 4&3 win over Josh Kim (Jr) and Drew Jeffords (Fr). Teuschl eagled the ninth with a beauty from the fairway and followed up with a birdie on the 10th to help the pair build their lead midway through the match.

The all-freshman team of Danny Auffant (Bellevue, Wash.) and Luke Lombardo (Severna Park, Md.) squared off against Army's top player and team captain John Heckel Jr. and rookie Zach Clark. The foursome went nose to nose throughout the competition with the Navy pair securing the 1-up win as Lombardo calmly sank a 6-foot putt on the 18th.

The final match was a see-saw affair that featured Navy's Owen Huntington (Jr / Camas, Wash.) and Derek Weaver (So / Hackettstown, N.J.) vs. Army's Lake Kim and Samuel Kim. Army took a 1-up lead on the 15th, however, Huntington and Weaver battled back on the 16th to square the match. The Mids took the lead on the 17th, one of the toughest holes on the course, and held on the 18th for the 1-up victory.

Huntington is now 3-0 (2 doubles, 1 singles) against Army, while the other seven Navy players earned their first wins in Star Match action.

The men's golf Star Match marks the first among 25 Army-Navy Star competitions played over the course of the academic year that determine the winner of the Army-Navy Star Series presented by USAA. The annual showdown between the two rivals in each sport is deemed the Star Game/Match/Meet with the athletes from the winning team receiving a Star for their letter sweaters. For those sports who face Army multiple times in a season, the Star Game is designated prior to the start of the year.  

Oct. 5, 2023 | Annapolis, Md.
Navy 4 | Army 0

Fourball Matches
Luke Lombardo / Danny Auffant (N) def. John Heckel Jr. / Zach Clark (A), 1-up
Benjamin Valdez / Noah Nuez (N) def. James Ballato / Patrick Song (A), 5&3
Owen Huntington / Derek Weaver (N) def Lake Kim / Samuel Kim (A), 1-up
Jack Tarzy / Jack Teuschl (N) def. Josh Kim / Drew Jeffords (A), 4&3

Singles Matches (Friday, 8:30 am)
Jack Tarzy (N) vs. John Heckel Jr. (A)
Owen Huntington (N) vs. Samuel Kim (A)
Ben Valdez (N) vs. Josh Kim (A)
Noah Nuez (N) vs. Zach Clark (A)
Jack Teuschl (N) vs. James Ballato (A)
Danny Auffant (N) vs. Drew Jeffords (A)
Luke Lombardo (N) vs. Lake Kim (A)

### Go Navy ###