Pirates Head to Arizona for Loyola Intercollegiate

GOODYEAR, ARIZ. - The Seton Hall men's golf team return to tournament play on for three rounds of golf at the Loyola Intercollegiate at Palm Valley Golf Course in Goodyear, Ariz, Feb. 25-27.

Tournament Details:
2024 LOYOLA INTERCOLLEGIATE
Host: Loyola University
Location: Goodyear, Ariz.
Course: Palm Valley Golf Club
Course Vitals: Par-72, 7,015 yards
Dates: February 25-27, 2024

THE COURSE:
Designed by renowned golf course architect Arthur Hills, Palm Valley Golf Club's Palms Course is one of the most popular championship Phoenix Arizona golf courses. The excellent layout provides a stiff challenge for accomplished players, yet it is flexible enough for novices to enjoy. One asset that sets Palm Valley Golf Club apart from other Phoenix Arizona golf courses is its diversity in play. The Palms Course has been rated among Arizona's best public golf courses by The Phoenix Business Journal, and the 18th hole is routinely cited by avid players as one of the best par-5s in the state.

THE FIELD:
In addition to Seton Hall and host Loyola, the huge field includes 18 other teams including: Air Force, Boise State, Bucknell, Delaware, Drake, Eastern Michigan, Gonzaga, Howard, Idaho, James Madison, Marshall, Missouri State, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, SIU-Edwardsville, South Dakota, South Dakota State and Utah Valley.

THE FORMAT:
Teams will play five golfers and count the four lowest scores per round.

THE LINEUP:

Wenliang Xie, Graduate
George Fricker, Junior
Jack Bosworth, Sophomore
Joshua Lee, junior
Eli Shah, Freshman

Individual: Isaiah Williams, Freshman

LAST TIME OUT:
Wenliang Xie (Zhaoqing, China) and George Fricker (Woodbridge, England) each shot a 2-over-par, 73, on Feb. 13 to lead the Seton Hall men's golf team to a 13th place finish at the 2024 Hal Williams Collegiate at Magnolia Grove.

Xie had a birdie and 14 pars in round three to fuel his round. The graduate student was the top Seton Hall performer for the tournament, tying for 36th place among 80 individual golfers with a 2-over-par, 68-74-73-215. His 3-under-par, 68, in round one is his 36th sub-par round in his career, which ranks second-most in program history.

Fricker had three birdies and 12 pars in round three. For the tournament, he tied for 46th place with a 4-over-par, 74-70-73-217.

As a team, The Hall placed 13th in a highly-talented field with a 21-over-par, 293-283-296-872. Illinois won the team title at 25-under-par.

LAST TIME AT PALM VALLEY:
George Fricker (Woodbridge, England) shot his second-consecutive sub-par round to fuel the Seton Hall men's golf team on the final day of the Loyola Intercollegiate last spring.

Fricker had six birdies and eight pars in route to a 1-under-par, 71, in round three. He was the top Pirate golfer for the tournament as well, tying for 45th place among 108 individual golfers with a 2-over-par, 78-69-71-218.

As a team, the Pirates shot a 3-over-par, 291, in round three. For the three-day event, The Hall placed 16th with a 12-over-par, 301-284-291-876. Utah Valley won the team title at 21-under-par. Fellow BIG EAST competitor, Marquette, finished one stroke behind for second place at 20-under-par. St. John's, a third BIG EAST school, finished two strokes behind the Pirates at 14-over-par.

THE SCHEDULE:
The field will play 18 holes per day for three days, Sunday through Tuesday. A shotgun start at 7:45 a.m. PT all three days will begin competition. Seton Hall golfers will be paired with golfers from Air Force, Howard and Missouri State in round one.

THE RESULTS:
Live scoring will be available for the tournament via Golfstat.com. Complete results will also be available following each day's competition at SHUpirates.com.