Pirates Title Defense Falls Short in Windy Final Round

Sunday, April 30

Hardeeville, S.C. / Riverton Pointe Country Club

All Day

Seton Hall University

Third Round

Seton Hall men's golf team huddles after the final round of the 2023 BIG EAST Championship

Pirates Title Defense Falls Short in Windy Final Round

4/30/2023 6:03:00 PM | Men's Golf

LIVE SCORING PHOTO GALLERY (RD 3)

The Hall collects its fourth-straight Top-3 finish at the BIG EAST Championship.

HARDEEVILLE, S.C. – 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 on Sunday.

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, on Sunday. 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.

Seton Hall newcomers George Fricker (Woodbridge, England) and David Lally (Wicklow, Ireland) had the team's top rounds despite the wind, each shooting a 5-over-par, 77.

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. It's his fourth Top-10 finish this year.

Lally had five bogeys and 13 pars in round three. Playing in his first-ever BIG EAST Championship, the freshman tied for 14^th place with a 5-over-par, 69-75-77-221.

St. John's Jack Simon buried a 20-foot putt on the 18^th hole to force a playoff with Marquette's Bhoom Sima-Aree for the individual title. The golfers were 3-under-par for the tournament. Simon went on to win the playoff and earn the BIG EAST's automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals.

Senior Wenliang Xie (Zhaoqing, China) had three birdies on the front nine, and was just 1-ove-par at the turn, but struggled on the back and finished with a 7-over-par, 79, in round three. For the tournament, he placed 18^th with a 6-over-par, 74-69-79-222.

Wanxi Sun (Danville, Calif.) was cruising and made the turn at 1-under-par, but found the water on the 10^th hole. A triple bogey on 10 and a double on 11 turned a promising round into a struggle for the junior. He finished with an 8-over-par, 80. For the tournament, Sun tied for 23^rd with an 8-over-par, 74-70-80-224.

Sophomore Joshua Lee (Lantana, Texas) had no double-bogeys on the day and finished with a 7-over-par, 79. He shot a 3-over-par, 75, in the second round.

Tournament Details:
2023 BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP
Host: BIG EAST Conference
Location: Hardeeville, S.C.
Resort: Riverton Pointe Country Club
Course Vitals: Par-72, 7,006 yards
Dates: April 28-30, 2023

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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 was limited to only the 10 member schools of the BIG EAST Conference. Below are the teams in order of their Golfstat ranking.

Marquette – 56
Butler – 166
SETON HALL – 169
Connecticut - 173
St. John's – 181
DePaul – 203
Xavier – 204
Creighton – 207
Georgetown – 219
Villanova – 230

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

UP NEXT
This concludes the 2022-23 year for the Pirates. Seton Hall will return to the course this fall.