HAMILTON, N.Y. //  The Navy men's golf team shot a school-record 3-under par 573 (289-284) to earn a share of the Alex Lagowitz Memorial title Sunday at the par-72 Seven Oaks Golf Club in Hamilton, N.Y. It was Navy's first team victory since setting the school's 54-hole record in relationship to par (834, -6) to win The Doc Gimmler in September of 2019. Meanwhile, it was Jimmy Stobs first victory since becoming Navy's head coach in the fall of 2022. 

Sorting Out the Finish
Originally scheduled for 54 holes, the tournament was shortened to 36 after the 15-team field fought its way through gusty winds and rainstorms which suspended play during Saturday's opening round. The teams were able to get back out on the course and complete 18 holes Saturday afternoon, as Navy and Yale shared the lead with a 1-over par 289. Seton Hall, meanwhile, played a sensational final round on Sunday where it turned in the low round of the tournament with a 6-under par 282 to pull even with Navy in the final standings. The Mids had slid to third at one point in the final round due to a tough stretch on holes 8-10, but played a solid final 8 holes to finish the day 4-under (284). Yale, who won last year's tournament by 16 strokes, finished 6 strokes behind the leaders in third (579, +3), while Villanova (581, +5) and Colgate (587, +11) rounded out the top 5. 

Navy Notes
Utilizing a play-six, count-four format, four of Navy's golfers finished inside the top 20. Jack Tarzy (Jr / Medford, N.J.) and Danny Auffant (So / Bellevue, Wash.) led the way for the Mids with both earning top-10 finishes.

Tarzy put together matching rounds of 71 to push up from eighth to sixth in the final standings, marking the second top-10 finish of his career. Meanwhile, Auffant put together his most complete performance in a Navy uniform. The second-year player stood 16th after the first round with a 1-over par 73 before pushing up to ninth in the final standings thanks to his 1-under par 71 over the final 18 holes.

Team captain Benjamin Valdez (Sr / Stevenson Ranch, Calif.) struggled in the opening round of play, posting a 3-over par 75. The senior, however, came back on Sunday to shoot the team's low round of the day and tournament (tied Chip Deegan) with a 2-under par 70 and placed 12th. Chip Deegan (Jr / Newport Beach, Calif.), meanwhile, began the tournament with the hot club, as he led the way for Navy after the first round with a 1-under par 70. Sunday, however, was not as kind, as Deegan was 4-over on the day and finished 19th.

Rookies Kaden Ausen (Puyallup, Wash.) and Ed Scott (Lemont, Ill.) made their collegiate debut for the Mids. Both golfers finished tied for 48th with Ausen turning in rounds of 75 and 76, while Scott improved upon his opening-round score of 79 with a 72 in Sunday's final round.

Navy's previous record for a low 36 holes in relationship to par was a -2, 566 in the 2009 Navy Fall Classic.

Thoughts on the Weekend
"I'm very happy for our guys," said third-year Navy head coach Jimmy Stobs. "We've had some close calls over the last few years and didn't finish the job, but today we did and I couldn't be happier. We've talked quite a bit about winning, but now the team gets to experience it.

"Certainly it was hard to stop play for almost two hours yesterday. It's difficult to focus, have momentum and then just stop. It's also a tricky course, so everyone had to dial in and focus on one shot at a time.

"Winning happens after going through the process and I have really tried to teach that to our players. Saying it and doing it are two different things! It's the preparation that gives you the opportunity to win and I think their hard work put them in position to do that today. It's a great way to start our season."

Next Up
Navy will return to tournament action a week from Monday when it plays it the three-round Folds of Honor Collegiate in Grand Haven, Mich.

### Go Navy ###