Michigan State University Athletics
Friday, October 21
Eagle Point Golf Club (Wilmington, N.C.)
Michigan State University
at
The Williams Cup
Photo by: Rey Del Rio/MSU Athletic Communications
Spartans Start Play in Williams Cup on Friday in North Carolina
10/20/2022 4:57:00 PM | Men's Golf
East Lansing, Mich. – For the second-straight year, Michigan State will travel to North Carolina to play in The Williams Cup, being hosted by the University of North Carolina at the Eagle Point Golf Club in Wilmington, N.C.
The tournament, named in honor of former UNC men's basketball coach Roy Williams, starts on Friday with 18 holes and will run through Sunday. The 10-team field includes four schools ranked among the top-60 nationally by Golfstat. Michigan State is paired with Indiana and North Carolina in the first round.
Michigan State tied for fifth place among 10 teams in the inaugural event.
Date: Friday, Oct. 21 – Sunday, Oct. 23
Course: Eagle Point Golf Club
Live Scoring: Golfstat
Par/Yardage: 72 / 7,364
Format: Stroke play, 54 holes, play five, count four
Schedule: Friday – Rounds 1 beginning with an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start
Saturday: Round two with tee times starting at 8:30 a.m. on the first and 10th holes.
Sunday: Round three with tee times starting at 8:30 a.m. off the first and 10th holes.
THE LINEUP
1. August Meekhof
2. Drew Hackett
3. Troy Taylor
4. Ashton McCulloch
4. Brad Smithson
IND – Satchel Pierce
THE FIELD
UNC (No. 8), Charlotte, Houston, Indiana (No. 56), Iowa, Kent State, Louisville (No. 37), Michigan State (No. 52), NC State and UNCW.
THE COURSE
Eagle Point opened in 2000. The Tom Fazio-designed course is a nearly 7,300-yard trek through live oaks, sabal palms and the coastal waters of Wilmington. Golf Digest ranks Eagle Point one of America's Top 100 courses. In 2017, Brian Harman won the PGA Tour's Wells Fargo Championship at Eagle Point.
LAST TIME OUT
Michigan State stormed back in the final round of the Quail Valley Collegiate Invitational last weekend behind a record-setting team round of 23-under par 265 and finished in a tie for second place among 16 teams. The Spartans entered the final round of play tied for ninth place overall, but fired a tournament-best 23-under par 265 – the best 18 hole score by the team in program history – and finished tied for second overall at 36-under par 828. MSU's score of 828 is tied for the second-lowest 54-hole tournament in program history.
Hackett, a transfer from UNC Wilmington, fired an 8-under par 64 in the final round and finished the tournament in a tie for second place at 16-under par 200. Hackett's score of 200 is the best 54-hole score in MSU history, topping the mark of 201 set by Donnie Trosper at the NCAA Pullman Regional in 2019. Hackett's 64 on Tuesday ties the best single round in program history, set twice by current PGA professional Ryan Brehm (2007 Fighting Irish Invitational, 2006 Big Ten Championships). Hackett finished second in the tournament with 18 birdies.
OF NOTE
The individual champion in the Williams Cup will receive an exemption to compete in the Korn Ferry Tour's Rex Hospital Open next June. The Rex Hospital Open is contested at TPC Wakefield Plantation in Raleigh. Mito Pereira of Chile won the 2021 Rex Open in a playoff. The 2022 tournament is scheduled for June 2-5.
LUBAHN'S THOUGHTS
"We're coming off a great finish last weekend, not only individually by Drew, but really collectively as a team and I think that is what is most important for us. We've got two more events to go in this portion of the season and the guys really want to finish strong and carry that momentum to the spring. It's an honor for us to play in the Williams Cup, an event that not only recognizes Coach (Roy) Williams, but also the contributions he and his family have made to the community in North Carolina."
The tournament, named in honor of former UNC men's basketball coach Roy Williams, starts on Friday with 18 holes and will run through Sunday. The 10-team field includes four schools ranked among the top-60 nationally by Golfstat. Michigan State is paired with Indiana and North Carolina in the first round.
Michigan State tied for fifth place among 10 teams in the inaugural event.
Date: Friday, Oct. 21 – Sunday, Oct. 23
Course: Eagle Point Golf Club
Live Scoring: Golfstat
Par/Yardage: 72 / 7,364
Format: Stroke play, 54 holes, play five, count four
Schedule: Friday – Rounds 1 beginning with an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start
Saturday: Round two with tee times starting at 8:30 a.m. on the first and 10th holes.
Sunday: Round three with tee times starting at 8:30 a.m. off the first and 10th holes.
THE LINEUP
1. August Meekhof
2. Drew Hackett
3. Troy Taylor
4. Ashton McCulloch
4. Brad Smithson
IND – Satchel Pierce
THE FIELD
UNC (No. 8), Charlotte, Houston, Indiana (No. 56), Iowa, Kent State, Louisville (No. 37), Michigan State (No. 52), NC State and UNCW.
THE COURSE
Eagle Point opened in 2000. The Tom Fazio-designed course is a nearly 7,300-yard trek through live oaks, sabal palms and the coastal waters of Wilmington. Golf Digest ranks Eagle Point one of America's Top 100 courses. In 2017, Brian Harman won the PGA Tour's Wells Fargo Championship at Eagle Point.
LAST TIME OUT
Michigan State stormed back in the final round of the Quail Valley Collegiate Invitational last weekend behind a record-setting team round of 23-under par 265 and finished in a tie for second place among 16 teams. The Spartans entered the final round of play tied for ninth place overall, but fired a tournament-best 23-under par 265 – the best 18 hole score by the team in program history – and finished tied for second overall at 36-under par 828. MSU's score of 828 is tied for the second-lowest 54-hole tournament in program history.
Hackett, a transfer from UNC Wilmington, fired an 8-under par 64 in the final round and finished the tournament in a tie for second place at 16-under par 200. Hackett's score of 200 is the best 54-hole score in MSU history, topping the mark of 201 set by Donnie Trosper at the NCAA Pullman Regional in 2019. Hackett's 64 on Tuesday ties the best single round in program history, set twice by current PGA professional Ryan Brehm (2007 Fighting Irish Invitational, 2006 Big Ten Championships). Hackett finished second in the tournament with 18 birdies.
OF NOTE
The individual champion in the Williams Cup will receive an exemption to compete in the Korn Ferry Tour's Rex Hospital Open next June. The Rex Hospital Open is contested at TPC Wakefield Plantation in Raleigh. Mito Pereira of Chile won the 2021 Rex Open in a playoff. The 2022 tournament is scheduled for June 2-5.
LUBAHN'S THOUGHTS
"We're coming off a great finish last weekend, not only individually by Drew, but really collectively as a team and I think that is what is most important for us. We've got two more events to go in this portion of the season and the guys really want to finish strong and carry that momentum to the spring. It's an honor for us to play in the Williams Cup, an event that not only recognizes Coach (Roy) Williams, but also the contributions he and his family have made to the community in North Carolina."
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
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