WILLIAMSBURG, Va. //  Chip Deegan (Jr / Newport Beach, Calif.) closed out play at the 54-hole Golden Horseshoe Intercollegiate on Tuesday just 2 strokes out of the lead, while the Navy men's golf team tied Villanova for fifth place with a 17-over par 869 (291-290-288). 

Navy has played well in this tournament in recent years, placing fourth in both 2023 (295-281-297=873) and '24 (288-296-296=880). The Mids, however, improved upon both of those scores Monday and Tuesday with their 17-over par 869 which marked the ninth-lowest 54-hole score in relationship to par in program history. It's the lowest since the September of 2023 when Navy finished The Doc Gimmler with a 13-over par 853.

Deegan, meanwhile, came just 2 strokes shy of claiming individual medalist honors for a second time in his career and a second time at the Golden Horseshoe Intercollegiate. He won the tournament in 2023 with the exact same performance, a 6-under par 207. He opened this year's tournament with an electrifying 6-under par 65, tying as the fourth-lowest round in relationship to par in program history. Though he was even in the second round, he shared the lead with Longwood's Justin LaRue and Georgetown's Carsten Judge. Deegan was even in the final round, while LaRue and Judge were able to surge ahead with a 2-under par 69 in the final round.

Teammate Jack Tarzy (Jr / Medford, N.J.) secured his 10th top-20 finish of his career and fourth of the season after turning in a 1-under par 70 in the final round. He closed out the tournament tied for 20th with a 5-over par 218 (75-73-70)

Team captain Benjamin Valdez (Sr / Stevenson Ranch, Calif.) placed 42nd with an 11-over par 224 (76-80-68), followed by Derek Weaver (Jr / Hackettstown, N.J.) in 52nd with a 14-over par 227 (75-72-80) and Owen Huntington (Sr / Camas, Wash.) was 61st with a 16-over par 229 (76-74-79).

Danny Auffant (So / Bellevue, Wash.) competed as an individual in the tournament, placing 74th with a 20-over par 233 (74-82-77).

Tournament Notes
• Longwood (+4/ 280-287-289=856) won the team title by 7 strokes over second-place Drexel (+11 / 290-289-284=863). Rhode Island (+12 / 288-289-287=864) finished just a stroke behind Drexel, while William Mary (+13 / 286-290-289=865) was 2 strokes behind Drexel.
• Longwood's Justin LaRue (68-68-69=205) and Georgetown's Carsten Judge (71-75-69=205) were co-individual medalists. LaRue, the highest-ranked player in the field at #216, won last year's tournament with a 10-under par 203.

Navy be back in action April 5-6 when it travels to Augusta, Ga. to compete in the Augusta Haskins Award Invitational played at Forest Hills Golf Club.

### Go Navy ###