Led by reigning Patriot League Rookie of the Year Chip Deegan, the Navy men's golf team will begin its quest for the program's eighth Patriot League title when it makes the trip to Bethlehem, Pa. this weekend to play in the eight-team Patriot League Championship. Hosted by Lehigh, the three-day, 54-hole tournament will be held on the Grace Course at Saucon Valley Country Club (par-72, 7,091 yards). The tournament kicks off on Friday at 9:00 am with 18 holes slated for each day. Navy, meanwhile, will play the opening round alongside players from Holy Cross and Bucknell beginning at 10:00 am.

Tournament Details
Event: Patriot League Championship, hosted by Lehigh
When: Friday-Sunday, April 26-28
Where: Saucon Valley Country Club - Grace Course, Bethlehem, Pa. | Par 72, 7,091 yards
Format: Stroke Play | Play 6, Count 4
Schedule of Play: Three 18-hole rounds
    Friday, April 26 - Round 1 | Tee times begin at 9:00 am
    Saturday, April 27 - Round 2 | Tee times begin at 9:00 am
    Sunday, April 28 - Round 3 | Tee times begin at 9:00 am
Participating Teams (Scoreboard rankings powered by clippd): Army (271), Bucknell (245), Colgate (254), Holy Cross (269), Lafayette (285), Lehigh (222), Loyola (149), Navy (276)
Follow The Action: Golfstat.com

Navy's Lineup
(Golfer / Yr / Hometown / 2023-24 avg. / Career avg.)
1 | Chip Deegan (So / Newport Beach, Calif. / 74.33 / 74.41)
2 | Jack Tarzy (So / Medford, N.J. / 74.57 / 74.46)
3 | Benjamin Valdez (Jr / Stevenson Ranch, Calif. / 76.78 / 76.53)
4 | Noah Nuez  (Jr / Laveen, Ariz. / 78.27 / 78.33)
5 | Derek Weaver (So / Hackettstown, Va. / 78.33 / 78.40)
6 | Luke Lombardo (Fr / Severna Park, Md. / 79.18 / 79.18)

The Course
• Saucon Valley Country Club, founded in 1920, has grown from 18 holes and a clubhouse to become one of the largest private clubs in North America.
• It encompasses 800 acres and consists of four courses, including the Weyhill Course, Old Course, Grace Course and Short Course.
• The Grace Course opened with nine holes in the fall of 1953 with the second nine opened for play in 1958.
• Named for Eugene Gifford Grace (Lehigh Class of 1899), longtime president and chairman of Bethlehem Steel, the Grace Course measures 7,091 yards from the championship tees and features greens nearly twice the size of those on the Old Course but without the severe contours.

• This will be the sixth time the Saucon Valley Country Club has been the host venue for the Patriot League Men's Golf Championship (1996 fall, '03, '08, '13, 18).
• Navy has won 3 of its 7 Patriot League Tournament titles at Saucon Valley Country Club (2003, '08, '18) and has finished second in its other two appearances (1996 fall, 2013).

Patriot League Individual and Team Champion
• Each of the eight 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 crowned 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.
• Lehigh is the defending Patriot League champion after finishing 6 strokes ahead of Colgate at the Hillendale Country Club in Phoenix, Md. last season.  Army has a Patriot League-best 12 titles, Navy has claimed the crown 7 times, while the Greyhounds have collected 5 of the last 9 Patriot League team titles.

Returning All-Patriot League Finishers
• Seven of the 11 members of last season's All-Patriot League squad return to the field, including four members of the first team.
• There will be a new individual medalist this year with the departure of last year's winner, Yuxuan Song of Lehigh .
• Michael Crowley (Loyola, Sr.), Aidan Oehrle (Lehigh, Jr.), Dugan McCabe (Colgate, Sr.) and John Heckel Jr. (Army, Jr) return after finished second through fifth and earning First-Team All-Patriot League recognition last spring.
• Returning second-team members include the Colgate junior tandem of Justin Fedele and Robbie Herzig, along with Holy Cross junior Nolan Schuermann.
• The 2023 Patriot League Rookie of the Year Chad Deegan also returns for the Midshipmen.

NCAA Regionals
• The Patriot League Champion will receive the League's automatic bid to one of the six NCAA Regionals (The University of Texas Golf Club, Austin, Texas / University Club, Baton Rouge, La. / UNC Finley Golf Course, Chapel Hill, N.C.. / the Farms Golf Club, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. / Stanford Golf Course, Stanford, Calif. / Birch Boilermaker Golf Complex, West Lafayette, Ind. ) held May 13-15.
• 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'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 2024 NCAA DI Men's Golf Selection Show will be televised by the Golf Channel on Wednesday, May 1 at 2:00 pm.

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.
• Four of the six players slated to represent Navy in this weekend's championship have previously played in the tournament, including team captain Benjamin Valdez who placed 30th as a freshman in 2022 with a 13-over par 229 and tied for 23rd a year ago with an 18-over par 234.
• Junior Noah Nuez, along with freshman Luke Lombardo will make their championship debut this weekend, while sophomores Chip Deegan, Jack Tarzy and Derek Weaver will represent Navy for a second-consecutive year.
• Heading into the tournament, Chip Deegan owns the low average of 74.33, seeing action in three team-scored events, while classmate Jack Tarzy has posted a 74.57 average that includes appearances in eight tournaments.

### Go Navy ###