Under the direction of first-year head coach Jimmy Stobs, the Navy men's golf team will begin its quest for the program's eighth Patriot League title when it makes the short trip to Phoenix, Md. this weekend to play in the eight-team Patriot League Championship. Hosted by Loyola, the three-day, 54-hole tournament will be held at Hillendale Country Club (par-72, 6,881 yards) with 18 holes slated for each day. The tournament kicks off on Friday with tee times slated for 7:30 am for each of the three rounds.

Tournament Details
Event: Patriot League Championship, hosted by Loyola
Dates: Friday-Sunday, April 28-30
Location: Par-72, 6,881 yards // Hillendale Country Club, Phoenix, Md.
The Field: 8 teams (Golfstat rankings, as of 4/4) - Army (254), Bucknell (225), Colgate (248), Holy Cross (260), Lafayette (237), Lehigh (206), Loyola (144) and Navy (241)
Format: Play 6, Count 4
Follow The Action: Golfstat.com

Navy's Lineup
(Golfer / Yr / Hometown / 2022-23 avg.)
1. Keegan Shreves (Sr / Potomac, Md. / 74.08)
2. Chip Deegan (Fr / Newport Beach, Calif. / 73.95)
3. Jack Tarzy (Fr / Medford, N.J. / 73.62)
4. Benjamin Valdez (So / Stevenson Ranch, Calif. / 76.23)
5. Owen Huntington (So / Camas, Wash. / 75.50)
6. Derek Weaver (Fr / Hackettstown, N.J. / ---)

Patriot League Individual and Team Champion
• Each of the six participating teams consists of six golfers, with the top four scorers in each round counting toward the team score. The final team score will be determined by totaling all completed rounds.
• The competitor with the lowest three-round score will be the Patriot League Men's Golf Championship individual medalist.
• The top five finishers are named First-Team All-Patriot League, with the next five finishers earning a spot on the second team.
• Patriot League men's golf head coaches will vote for the three major awards - player, rookie and coach of the year - at the conclusion of the championship.
• Loyola is the defending Patriot League champion after finishing 10 strokes ahead of host Lafayette at the Steel Club in Hellertown, Pa. last season.  Army has a Patriot League-best 12 titles, Navy has claimed the crown seven times, while the Greyhounds have collected five of the last eight Patriot League team titles.

NCAA Regionals
• The Patriot League Champion will receive the League's automatic bid to one of the six NCAA Regionals (Auburn University Club, Auburn, Ala / The Cliffs at Keowee Falls, Salem, S.C. / Eagle Eye Golf Club, East Lansing, Mich. / Bear's Best Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nev. / Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club, Norman, Okla. / The Institute Golf Club, Morgan Hill, Calif. ) held May 15-17.
• If the individual medalist is not part of the championship-winning team, he, too, will qualify for the NCAA Regionals.
• This has happened five times in league history, with Army West Point's Peter Kim qualifying in 2014 and 2017. Navy's Chris House qualified in 2013, the Black Knights' William Park qualified in 2012 and Navy's Billy Hurley accomplished the feat in 2004.
• The 2023 NCAA DI Men's Golf Selection Show will be on GOLF Channel on Wednesday, May 3.

Returning All-Patriot League Finishers
• Eleven of the 13 members of last season's All-Patriot League squad return to the field, including three members of the first team.
• Carlo Pizzano (Loyola Maryland, Sr.), who tied for first before falling in a playoff to eventual medalist Lafayette's Ryan Tall, returns to lead the defending champion Greyhounds.
• Lehigh senior Daniel Song and Holy Cross senior Christian Emmerich are also back after finishing in the top five last season.
• Army sophomore John Heckel Jr. is back after claiming Patriot League Rookie of the Year honors last season with his sixth-place finish.
• He is joined in the 2023 field by fellow 2022 second-team honorees Jackson Bussell (Bucknell, Sr.), Matthew Malits (Loyola Maryland, Gr.), Michael Rudnick (Bucknell, So.), Ray Dennehy (Lafayette, So.), Keegan Shreves (Navy, Sr.), Sam Barton (Lehigh, Sr.) and Owen Egan (Holy Cross, So.).

More on the Mids
• The Midshipmen have claimed the Patriot League Championship title seven times (1998-2000-2001-2003-2008-2012-2018), including back-to-back-to-back titles in 1998 (fall), 2000 and 2001.
• In addition, eight different Midshipmen have won the individual title, while five Navy players have captured rookie of the year honors.
• Just two of the six players slated to represent Navy in this weekend's championship have previously played in the tournament, including team captain Keegan Shreves (Sr / Potomac, Md.) who garnered First-Team All-Patriot League honors in 2021 and second-team recognition a year ago. Benjamin Valdez (So / Stevenson Ranch, Calif.) made his first appearance in the championship last spring, placing 30th with a 13-over par 229.
• Sophomore Owen Huntington (Camas, Wash.), along with freshmen Chip Deegan (Newport Beach, Calif.), Jack Tarzy (Medford, N.J.) and Derek Weaver (Hackettstown, N.J.) will make their championship debut this weekend.
• Heading into the tournament, Jack Tarzy owns the low average of 73.62, seeing action in five team-scored events, while classmate Chip Deegan has posted a 73.95 average that includes individual medalist honors at the Golden Horseshoe Intercollegiate.

### Go Navy ###