Golf begins spring season at Puerto Rico Classic

Live Scoring | Marquette Season Results (PDF)

MILWAUKEE – The Marquette University men's golf team begins its spring season on Feb. 11-13 in the Puerto Rico Classic at Grand Reserve Golf Club in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico.

Live scoring of the event will be available through Golfstat.

THE EVENT

The 2024 campaign marks the sixth year in a row that the Golden Eagles will compete in the Puerto Rico Classic and the third time they've played at Grand Reserve in as many years. Last season, Marquette recorded a 1-over par 865 (292-285-288) to place 11th and was led by Josh Robinson's 6-under par 210 in a tie for 14th place individually.

The event, hosted by Purdue, began in 1993 and is in its 31st iteration this spring. Former MU All-American Hunter Eichhorn holds the tournament's single-round scoring record with the 11-under 61 he shot in the third round of the event in 2022.

In addition to the Golden Eagles and host Boilermakers, the field includes Georgia, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, ETSU, Iowa, College of Charleston, Ohio State, Wisconsin, South Carolina, Virginia, North Florida and Minnesota. The individual medalist of the Puerto Rico Classic will receive an invitation to the PGA Tour's Puerto Rico Open, which will be held March 7-10 at the club.

"Our guys have been stacking bricks since our last event in October," MU head coach Steve Bailey said. "We are eager to tee it up at a PGA Tour venue and put all of our work into action."

THE COURSE

The Grand Reserve Golf Club hosts the Puerto Rico Classic for the third year in a row. The course, which is designed by PGA Tour professional Tom Kite, measures 7,506 yards and plays as a par 72. The Grand Reserve stretches along the beachfront with the El Yunque rainforest as a backdrop.

MARQUETTE LINEUP

Individuals: Will Hemauer

Graduate student Aidan Lafferty holds the top spot in the MU lineup for the first time this season. He recorded a pair of top-20 finishes during the fall season, including a tie for 17th in the season opener at Erin Hills and led the MU lineup in a tie for 19th at the Windon Memorial Classic (Sept. 25-26) at Sunset Ridge Golf Club in Northfield, Illinois. He carded a career-best 5-under par 208 in the event.

Lafferty's first appearance at the Puerto Rico Classic came as a true freshman in the spring of 2020. That year, Lafferty posted a 4-under 212 to tie for 13th overall. That finish earned him BIG EAST Men's Golfer of the Week on Feb. 20, 2020, the last league weekly honor before the college golf season shut down for the year.

Josh Robinson holds the No. 2 spot in the MU lineup after pacing the Golden Eagles to a tournament victory in their last event of the fall season at the Dayton Flyer Invitational on Oct. 16-17 as NCR Country Club in Kettering Ohio. Robinson tied for second with a 6-under par 207 as MU held off Illinois for the team win.

Max Lyons joins Lafferty in making his third appearance in Puerto Rico this spring. Lyons recorded his best collegiate 54-hole score to date during his freshman season in the Puerto Rico Classic with an 11-under 205, which included a 5-under 67 second round.

Freshman Mason Schmidtke slots into the MU lineup for just the second time in 2023-24 at the No. 5 spot. Schmidtke was part of the MU contingent at the Windon Memorial Classic on Sept. 25-26, but posted three top-30 finishes as an individual at the Marquette Intercollegiate and the Dayton Flyer Invititational. He also placed second overall in the Badger Individual event on Oct. 1-2 at TPC Wisconsin.

Previous Puerto Rico Classic Results (year, overall (MU finish):

Aidan Lafferty
2022: 75 (5th), +8 (72-77-75—224)
2020: T-13 (1st), -4 (70-72-70—212)

Josh Robinson
2023: T-14 (1st), -6 (70-69-71—210)

Max Lyons
2023: T-57 (3rd), +4 (70-72-78—220)
2022: T-16 (2nd), -11 (70-67-68—205)

Patrick Adler
2023: T-65 (Ind.), +8 (72-76-76—224)

UP NEXT: Following the Puerto Rico Classic, Marquette is off for nearly a month before heading to The Johnnie-O at Sea Island – Plantation Course in St. Simons Island, Georgia on March 11-12.

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