Pirates to Play the Ross Collegiate Classic, March 7-8

PINEHURST, N.C. - The Seton Hall men's golf team will return to action on Monday and Tuesday with three rounds of golf at the Ross Collegiate Classic at Mid Pines Golf Club, March 7-8.

THE CAUSE
During this tournament the Pirates will all be wearing "Leuk the Duck" pins on their hats to support "Challenge," an auspice program of the Australian Red Cross. Started in 1983, and for over 30 years, Challenge has supported children and families living with cancer. A major ambassador for the program was Australian professional golfer Jarrod Lyle, who tragically passed away after a long battle with Leukemia in 2018.

A passionate supporter of "Challenge" is Seton Hall freshman Angus O'Brien (Barwon Heads, Australia), who brought awareness of the program to the Pirates.

Tournament Details:
ROSS COLLEGIATE CLASSIC
Host: George Mason University
Location: Pinehurst, N.C.
Course: Mid Pines Golf Club
Course Vitals: Par-72, 6,633 yards
Dates: February 7-8, 2021

THE COURSE
A rarity among Donald Ross masterpieces, Mid Pines Golf Course remains exactly as the world renowned architect built it in 1921 and impeccably restored by Kyle Franz in 2013. The renovation was honored with GOLF Magazine's Best U.S. Resort Renovation and Restoration of the Year. The course, often characterized as "pure Donald Ross," was designed to fit perfectly into the natural landscape, as was Ross's signature approach.

Mid Pines was not intended to be a daunting challenge for the finest players competing under championship conditions, but was envisioned as a course that would offer friendly competition for members and guests of a private club and resort. However, fanatics and pros have taken note of the perfectly preserved course and Mid Pines has become a classic gem, which has now played host to many national competitions including the 2002 USGA Senior Women's Amateur Championship.

THE FIELD
In addition to Seton Hall and host George Mason, the large field features 15 other teams including: Elon, George Washington, Loyola (Md.), Ohio University, Old Dominion, Princeton, Richmond, St. Bonaventure, Saint Joseph's, Towson, William & Mary and Winthrop. Three other BIG EAST competitors, Connecticut, St. John's and Villanova, are also in the field.

THE SETON HALL LINEUP:

Wenliang Xie, Junior
Deven Ramachandran, Senior
Angus O'Brien, Freshman
Andres Acevedo, Graduate Student
Gregor Tait, Graduate Student

Individual: Brody Hanley, Sophomore
Individual: Wanxi Sun, Sophomore

LAST TIME OUT:
Four Pirates finished in the top-20 and the team placed fourth in a strong field of 18 teams at the Loyola Intercollegiate on Feb. 22. Senior Deven Ramachandran (San Rafael, Calif.) had the low round of the final round for the Pirates, using five birdies and 11 pars to shoot a 3-under-par, 69. For the three-round event, he tied for 16th with a 3-under-par, 72-72-69-213.

As a team, The Hall put together its third-straight sub-par round, a 2-under-par, 286. The Pirates finished fourth with a 12-under-par, 283-283-286-852. Middle Tennessee State won the team title at 29-under-par. A pair of BIG EAST teams were also in the field. Creighton finished ninth at 2-over-par, while DePaul placed 11th at 11-over-par.

Junior Wenliang Xie (Zhaoqing, China) was the top Pirate for the tournament. He used four birdies on Tuesday to power a 2-under-par, 70, in his final round. For the event, Xie tied for 10th among 110 individual golfers with a 4-under-par, 70-72-70-212.

FORMAT / TEE TIMES:
The field will play two rounds on Monday and one round on Tuesday. Tee times on Monday will begin at 8:00 a.m. from holes No. 1 and No. 10.

RESULTS:
Complete results of each day's events will be available following competition at Golfstat.com and SHUpirates.com.