After strong Big EAST finish, Wildcats seem poised for big season

The Villanova golf team will finally get back into action this weekend at The McLaughlin looking to build on one of the more successful seasons in school history when they finished 3rd at the BIG EAST tournament.

The Wildcats will need to replace the production of one of the most decorated golfers in the school's history, Brendan Kelly, along with two other successful graduates in Conor Casey and Colin List.  Villanova returns the BIG EAST's top scorer from last season, senior Brian Colbert (Cary, Ill.), as well as junior Michael Kania (Haverford, Pa.), who played in every tournament last season.

Other returning players and contributors from a season ago are senior Bret McGaughey (Laguna Beach, Calif.) who was productive during his fall campaign, junior Steve Skurla (Wheaton, Ill.) who emerged strong at the end of the season, junior Jimmy Johnston (Wayne, Pa.), and junior Derek Jones (Lower Burrell, Pa.). 

The six returning players will be joined by four new players to the roster this season that will give Head Coach Jim Wilkes a strong mix of veteran leadership and young talent. The new players are sophomore Vince Boyle (Philadelphia, Pa.), freshman Ted Brennan, sophomore Robby Meador (Miami Lakes, Fla.), and freshman Scott Miller (Madison, N.J.).

The golf team will be travelling to Bethpage State Park this weekend to take part in The McLaughlin that is being played on the par-70, 6,734-yard Red Course as part of a 16-team field.  The tournament will get under way with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. on Friday morning and the players will play 36 holes that day. Then on Saturday, players will start teeing off at 7:40 a.m. from the first tee, with the leaders going out last around noon. 

The other 15 teams in the field are: Bethune Cookman, Columbia, Dartmouth, George Mason, Harvard, IUPUI, Johnson & Wales, Loyola, Princeton, Savannah State, Seattle, Sacred Heart, St. John's, St. Thomas, Temple, TCU, and West Florida. 

At the conclusion of The McLaughlin, the Wildcats will head to Newport, Rhode Island to take part in the Adam's Cup of Newport that gets under way on Monday.