Men's Golf Tees Off Monday at Donald Ross Intercollegiate

Setting The Scene
What: Donald Ross Intercollegiate
When: Monday-Tuesday (36 holes Monday, 18 holes Tuesday)
Where: Mimosa Hills GC, Morganton, N.C.
The Field: Appalachian State, Bethune-Cookman, Bucknell, Greensboro College, High Point, North Carolina Central, Pfeiffer, Stetson, Towson, Evansville and Wingate

Live Scoring: GolfStat.com

About the Bison
>> Bucknell continues its busy fall season with a trip to Mimosa Hills GC in North Carolina for the Donald Ross Intercollegiate.

>> The Bison are averaging 296.9 in 13 rounds this fall and have four sub-290 rounds. Last time out, the team posted rounds of 285-291 for an even-par 576 at the Matthews Auto Collegiate Invitational, hosted by Binghamton. The 3-under 285 in the first round was a season best, and the Bison went on to finish in ninth place in a 16-team field.

>> This week's five-man lineup includes freshman Peter Bradbeer, sophomores Ashton Radvansky, Jubal Early and Connor O'Brien, and senior D.J. Magee. Senior Zachary Melnick and junior J.B. Thompson will play as individuals. Early is a Charlotte native and will be returning to his home state.

>> Bradbeer is coming off the best performance of his young career. He shot 68-71 for a 5-under 139 total at the Matthews Auto Collegiate Invitational last week, good for a T-6th finish. The rookie has a 73.0 scoring average in eight rounds this fall. Four of his eight rounds have been under par.

>> Early finished T-8th at Cornell in mid-September, the best of his career. He posted rounds of 77-70-73, with the 1-under 70 a personal best. He had another good showing at Binghamton (73-75) and is averaging 76.3 on the season. Early is the only Bison who has played in every tournament so far this fall.

>> Not in the lineup this week is sophomore J.P. Raftery, who has been Bucknell's top performer this season, building off his second-place finish at the Patriot League Championship in the spring. He already has three top-10 finishes in four starts with a T-5th at Colgate, a T-4th at Bucknell and a T-9th at George Mason. His only finish outside the top 10 was a T-16th last week at Binghamton when he finished at 2-under par (69-73). Raftery's 71.8 scoring average is the best on the team.

The Donald Ross Intercollegiate
>> Bucknell will be one of 11 teams in the field this week at Mimosa Hills, a par-70, 6,718-yard course in Morganton, North Carolina, that typically yields low scores.

>> The Bison played in this event last year and posted some excellent scores, even though they settled for a ninth-place finish. The team shot 295-286-293 for an 874 total, one stroke behind Stetson. Magee was Bucknell's top finisher here last season, carding 71-68-76 in a T-19th finish. Early (76-68-76), O'Brien (72-76-73), Radvansky (76-75-71) and Melnick (76-75-73) are also returning to Mimosa Hills after playing here in 2015.

>> Jacksonville won the tournament last year by one shot over Gardner-Webb.

>> Bucknell also competed here in 2013, finishing 13th with rounds of 294-297-295. Melnick (74-78-74) and Magee (77-76-75) were in the lineup as freshmen.

Up Next
>> Bucknell's final tournament of the fall season will be Oct. 21-22 at the Lehigh Invitational at Saucon Valley CC. The Bison will look to defend their 2015 title at Lehigh.