2019 NCAA Men's Golf Championship Preview
The No. 4 Wittenberg University men's golf team will be making their 10th consecutive trip to the NCAA Division III Golf Championships. The Tigers earned the automatic qualifying bid to Keene Trace in Nicholasville, KY after storming back to take their 10th straight North Coast Athletic Conference title at the Westbrook Country Club in Mansfield, OH. The Red and White posted a second-round score of 281 (-7) while overcoming an 11-stroke deficit after day and claiming their fourth straight team win to close out the season.
The Tigers are no strangers to the national stage, as senior Colin Laszlo comes in at No. 10 amongst all Division III players, while junior Cameron Willis follows close behind at No. 16. Both Laszlo and Willis were members of the 2017 National Championship team, closed out the season with an adjusted scoring average of 72.96 in 24 rounds of competition. Willis wrapped up with season by taking the NCAC individual title to go along with a tie for second at the Hershey Cup. Junior Ryan Mallette ranks within the Top 50 of individuals of Division III golfers, coming in at No. 34 with an adjusted scoring average of 73.88. Mallette claimed his first collegiate title with a win at the Strimer Memorial Invitational, shooting a day-two score of 68 (-3). Christopher Dunne holds an average score of 74.14 through 14 rounds in six events on the season, posting one top-five finish and two top 10 finishes for the Red and White. Cooper Taylor looks to follow up with an adjusted scoring average of 75.04, adding two top five finishing and four top ten 10 finishes.
Wittenberg caught the winning bug with a win at the Hershey Cup (April 7-8), played at the historic par-71, 6,605-yard Hershey Country Club. The Tigers topped the 15-team field with a combined score of 592 (295-297), which was 18 strokes better than the duo of No. 8 Carnegie Mellon and Piedmont that tied for second with 610 strokes each. The Tigers followed up their Hershey Cup win with a Division I title at the Wright State Invitational, played at the par-70, 6,780-yard Heatherwoode Golf Club in Springboro, Ohio. The Tigers not only won the tournament, but they did it in comfortable fashion with a team score of 721 (362-359), which was nine strokes better than second-place IUPUI's team score of 730 (366-364). Picking up their third straight win at the Strimer Memorial Invitational, played at the par-71, 6,876-yard Oakhaven Golf Club in Central Ohio. The Tigers shot a two-day score of 572 (287-285), which was 16 shots better than the duo of league-rival Kenyon and No. 9 Carnegie Mellon that tied for second in the team standings with 588 strokes each.
Wittenberg will tee off at 7:30 AM on day one of competition, Tuesday, May 14 from Keene Trace G.C. - Keene Run. The Red and White will follow up with a 12:00 PM tee time on day two from Champion Trace at the Keene Trace G.C.