The Hall Vies for Second BIG EAST Title in Three Years

HARDEEVILLE, S.C. – The Seton Hall men's golf team will look for its second conference title in the last three years when it plays the 2024 BIG EAST Championship this weekend at Riverton Pointe Country Club in Hardeeville, S.C.

The Pirates are coming off a strong showing during the 2023-24 year and are currently ranked fourth according to their national ranking in the BIG EAST field of 10 teams. The Hall has averaged 288.53 strokes per round in 10 tournaments this year, which is the second-lowest in program history. Seton Hall has finished fourth or better in six of its 10 tournaments, and is coming off a victory at the Shark Invitational last week.

Additionally, Wenliang Xie (Zhaoqing, China) is enjoying one of the top individual years in program history. The graduate student is currently averaging 71.57 strokes per round, which is second-best ever for a single-year at Seton Hall. Xie has also had six sub-par tournaments this year and is now tied for the most in Pirates' history with 13 for his career.

Seton Hall has won the team BIG EAST title three times, most recently in 2022. Four individuals have claimed the conference championship as well, including 2022 graduate Gregor Tait, who was a remarkable 11-under-par.

Tournament Details:
2024 BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP
Host: BIG EAST Conference
Location: Hardeeville, S.C.
Resort: Riverton Pointe Country Club
Course Vitals: Par-72, 7,158 yards
Dates: April 27-29, 2024

THE COURSE
Riverton Pointe is without question the ultimate expression of the Nicklaus Design guarantee of uncompromising standards in superior golf course design. With large, subtle greens and fairways lined with tall sea pines and splashes of colorful wildflowers, the course is designed to harmonize perfectly with the lush Lowcountry landscape. The unique aesthetics of the course create a distinct visual experience that simply can't be replicated, and are destined to leave a lasting impression on those fortunate enough to enjoy Riverton Pointe.

From a playability standpoint, the golf course is designed to appeal to a broad range of players. The course offers five sets of tees – stretching all the way out to over 7300 yards for low-handicappers – while also placing an emphasis on forgiveness and overall playability for high-handicappers and beginners.

THE FIELD
The field will be limited to only the 10 member schools of the BIG EAST Conference. Below are the teams in order of their national ranking.

Marquette – 111
Connecticut - 148
Creighton – 152
SETON HALL – 166
Butler – 176
Xavier – 187
Georgetown – 209
St. John's – 233
DePaul – 235
Villanova – 246

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

THE LINEUP
Seton Hall will be bringing the following lineup to South Carolina:

Wenliang Xie, Graduate student
George Fricker, Junior
David Lally, Sophomore
Jack Bosworth, Sophomore
Wanxi Sun, Senior

Available for substitution if necessary: Isaiah Williams, Freshman

LAST TIME OUT
Junior George Fricker (Woodbridge, England) outlasted LIU's Carlo Edoardo Lasi in a playoff to claim the individual title and lift the Seton Hall men's golf team to the team championship of the Shark Invitational last week.

After 54 holes, Fricker was tied with Lasi at 6-over-par, which necessitated a playoff. The Seton Hall junior birdied the first playoff hole to claim the individual title. For the final round, Fricker had a birdie and 13 pars in round three to finish with a 3-over-par, 74. He carded a 6-over-par, 74-71-74-219, for the three-round event. It's his first career tournament victory and his seventh top-10 finish at Seton Hall.

As a team, the Pirates shot a 9-over-par, 293, in Tuesday's final round to remain firmly on top of the team leader board. The Hall out-golfed the field of 12 teams and finished with a 25-over-par, 295-289-293-877, to win the event by six strokes over host LIU.

LAST YEAR AT THE BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP
The Seton Hall men's golf team was within striking distance of a successful BIG EAST Championship defense for two and a half rounds, but ultimately, fell short and placed third at the conference's marquee event last spring.

The Pirates entered the final round trailing top-seeded Marquette by just one stroke, but struggled on the back nine as 50-mile per hour wind gusts rattled the field. Scores were way up for all teams, and The Hall finished with a 24-over-par, 312, in round three. For the tournament, Seton Hall placed third with a 21-over-par, 286-287-312-885. Marquette won the title and the automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals with a 9-over-par score. St. John's finished second at 12-over-par.

Despite the disappointing final round, The Hall recorded its fourth straight Top-3 finish at the BIG EAST Championship, a program first.

George Fricker and David Lally (Wicklow, Ireland) had the team's top rounds despite the wind, each shooting a 5-over-par, 77, in round three.

Fricker had three birdies on the day, but also four double-bogeys. Still, he was the top Pirate performer for the weekend, tying for ninth among all individuals with a 3-over-par, 69-73-77-219.

THE STAKES
The BIG EAST will crown a team champion, which earns an automatic berth to the 2024 NCAA Championship. The individual champion also receives an NCAA Championship invitation.

TEE TIMES
The field will play one round (18 holes) over each day for three days. Competition on Friday and Saturday will begin at 8:00 a.m. On Championship Sunday, the action will begin at 8:30 a.m. Seton Hall will be paired with golfers from Butler and Xavier in round one and will tee off the first hole starting at 9:30 a.m.

THE RESULTS
Live scoring will be available at GolfStat.com. Full day results will also be available at SHUPirates.com.