Pirates Claim Share of Sweetens Cove Title

Monday, March 24

South Pittsburg, Tenn. / Sweetens Cove Golf Club

All Day

Seton Hall University

Northern Kentucky

Members of the Seton Hall men's golf team pose for a team picture after winning a share of the Sweetens Cove Intercollegiate

3/26/2025 9:22:00 PM | Men's Golf

LIVE SCORING

Eli Shah and Patrick Kahanek won all three of their matches.

SOUTH PITTSBURG, TENN. – The Seton Hall men's golf team faced off against Miami (Ohio) in the championship match of the Sweetens Cove Intercollegiate and the teams played to a tie and were branded co-champions.

In Wednesday's championship round, the teams tied 3-3. Eli Shah (Newtown Square, Pa.) and Patrick Kahanek (San Antonio, Texas) won all three of their matches this week to fuel the Pirates. It's Seton Halls second victory of the 2024-25 year and its fifth top-3 finish in nine events.

Shah had three birdies and an eagle on the par-5, No. 12 hole to fuel a come-from-behind 2&1 victory. Kahanek never trailed and also registered a 2&1 win. Kahanek had a remarkable round with six birdies and an eagle on the par-2, No. 14 hole, all through only 17 holes. Finally, the Pirates secured a share of the title with George Fricker (Woodbridge, England) routing his opponent, 5&3. Fricker had five birdies, an eagle on the par-5, No. 3 hole, and nine pars with no blemishes in his 15 holes.

The Hall got to the title round with after edging Austin Peay State in a tie breaker after a 3-3 score. Shah and Kahanek again scored victories, but this time, were joined by David Lally (Wicklow, Ireland), who rushed his opponent, 6&5. Lally had four birdies and never trailed.

The opening round of the tournament saw Seton Hall defeat Northern Kentucky, 5-1. Shah, Kahanek, Fricker, Lally and Will Hennessee (Tulsa, Okla.) registered victories in the easy Pirates' win. Hennessee crushed his opponent, 5&4, and never trailed thanks to a round without blemishes. He had four birdies, nine pars and an eagle on the par-5, No. 12, hole.

Tournament Details:
2025 SWEETENS COVE INTERCOLLEGIATE
Host: Miami University (Ohio)
Location: South Pittsburgh, Tenn.
Course: Sweentens Cove Golf Course
Dates: March 24-26, 2025

THE COURSE:
Welcome to the foothills of the Sequatchie Valley, adjacent to Battle Creek in South Pittsburg, Tennessee. Sweetens Cove Golf Club is a public golf course located 30 minutes from Chattanooga in the central time zone.

The course itself presents an entirely unique golfing experience in the Southeastern region of the United States in that it was conceived, designed, and built as an inland links course. Borrowing architectural inspiration from some of the game's greatest layouts, King-Collins crafted a course that is reminiscent of the original version of Augusta National according to renowned golf writer and historian, Anthony Pioppi. In his definitive account of nine-hole golf courses, To The Nines, he wrote, "Sweetens Cove…harkens back to one of the most influential golf courses ever built in the United States [Augusta National]….Collins and his partner, [Tad] King, have embraced the original MacKenzie-Jones tenets with gusto. Writing about Augusta then, MacKenzie could have been describing Sweetens today."

THE FIELD:
In addition to Seton Hall and host Miami (Ohio), the field included six other teams including: Austin Peay State, Belmont, Bowling Green State, Murray State, Northern Kentucky and Ohio University.

THE FORMAT:
Eight teams are playing in a match play tournament. Six golfers will play in each match for each team.

UP NEXT:
Seton Hall will return to tournament action when it plays three rounds of golf at the Princeton Invitational, April 12-13, at Springdale Golf Club.