Saturday, September 4
Hamilton, N.Y. (Seven Oaks GC)
All Day
Bucknell University
at
Alex Lagowitz Memorial
Photo by: Marc Hagemeier
Men's Golf Excited for New Chapter as Season Gets Underway Saturday at Colgate
9/3/2021 2:51:00 PM | Men's Golf
Setting The Scene
What: 2021 Alex Lagowitz Memorial Invitational, hosted by Colgate
When: Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 4-5 (54 holes)
Where: Par-72, 6,834-yard Seven Oaks GC, Hamilton, N.Y.
Format: Play-6, Count-4
The Field: 13 teams (Bucknell, Colgate, Cornell, Holy Cross, Lehigh, Lafayette, Rhode Island, Rider, St. Bonaventure, St. John's, Seton Hall, Villanova and Yale)
Live Stats: GolfStat.com
About the Bison
Season Preview
Eighth-year head coach Mike Binney is in a familiar spot heading into the 2021-22 season-opener at Colgate this weekend. As has been the case for the last several years, Bucknell returns several high-caliber players who are capable of winning a tournament in any given week, and Binney's hope is to put together a strong fall season in order to build momentum for the spring and contend for a Patriot League title.
"I am extremely excited to see what this group can do this year," said Binney. "We didn't get to have a fall season last year, and although we played pretty well early in the spring and won a tournament, we just didn't have five or six guys firing on all cylinders at Patriot Leagues. We are much deeper this year with the addition of three very good freshmen, and I really think this team has a chance to be better than the one from two years ago when we were in contention almost every week."
A big reason for that optimism stems from the talent in the junior and senior classes. Dylan Ford and Jason Lohwater are the two seniors, and Jackson Bussell, Jack Gardner, Josh Holtschlag and Blake Wisdom comprise a loaded senior class.
Ford has not seen as much action as the others in recent years, but Binney says his ball-striking is at an all-time high. Lohwater was playing terrific golf in the spring of 2020 when the season was halted, and last spring he shot a 3-under 69 to help the Bison to the team title at the Battle at Rum Pointe.
"I expect Jason to be a consistent starter for us this year," said Binney. "He has a smooth, silky swing and he hits it far. He played phenomenally in the qualifier (72-75-70), and I think he can contend at Colgate this week. He's from Western New York and has played very well on that course in the past. It's sort of like a home course for him, and I know he'd love to put himself in position to win there."
Wisdom (74.0) and Bussell (74.3) ranked 1-2 on the team in scoring average last spring, and Bussell broke through and won his first collegiate tournament at Rum Pointe (Gardner and Wisdom were also in the top 10 as the Bison also claimed the team title). Bussell opened the Patriot League Championship with an even-par 72 before struggling in the final two rounds, while Wisdom was Bucknell's top finisher there with a T-11th. Gardner just missed his first tournament win last spring when he lost in a playoff at the Carpetbagger Classic, and he and Holtschlag both made the Patriot League Championship lineup.
"Blake and Jason both played really well in some high-level amateur events this summer, and both seem to me to be tournament-ready as we enter the fall season," said Binney. "Blake is striking the ball very well, and when he gets the putter going he can contend each and every week. Jackson won our qualifier, and in his mind he just wants to pick up where he left off last year. He had a great spring, and he has the positive frame of mind where he views every tournament as a potential win. Jack was only two shots behind Jackson in qualifying, which was a great sign for him. He did an internship this summer where he didn't get to play a lot of tournament golf, but he spent every minute of his free time at the practice range working on his game. And don't sleep on Josh. He qualified for our Patriot League lineup last spring and shot 75-74-74 in our recent qualifier. He could be poised for a big year."
Max Orwicz is the team's lone sophomore. As was the case with many first-year players in 2020-21, the adjustment to college life both as a student and as a Division I student-athlete was not easy with the backdrop of the pandemic. But Binney feels like he could be in for a jump forward this season.
"Max struggled a bit last year, which was to be expected," said Binney. "That's just a tough way to start your career. But he's hitting it as good as ever right now, and he is putting himself in the mix for a travel spot."
Binney is excited about what freshmen Michael Rudnick, Jake Maddaloni and John Bradbeer have brought to the squad. Rudnick shot 72-75-70 in the team qualifier to earn a spot in the lineup for Colgate this week. The Chicago-area native is coming off an impressive prep career at New Trier High School, which finished third at the Illinois state tournament.
Maddaloni, who will also be on the trip to Colgate, attended The Haverford School near Philadelphia and was a highly decorated junior player. He won the Harry Hammond Award for low combined score in the three GAP junior majors after posting rounds of 71-70-71. Bradbeer captained the Harriton High School golf team and also won a Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour event with a round of 72 at Heritage Hills.
"Mike and Jake have really been pushing each other," said Binney. "I am very pleased to take both of them to Colgate for the first tournament of the year. That will be great experience for them. All three of the freshmen are very long off the tee, and they all have pretty swings. Michael hits a beautiful high draw, and John is a lefty who is a left-to-right player. They are all accurate with their wedges and don't really have any major weaknesses."
What: 2021 Alex Lagowitz Memorial Invitational, hosted by Colgate
When: Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 4-5 (54 holes)
Where: Par-72, 6,834-yard Seven Oaks GC, Hamilton, N.Y.
Format: Play-6, Count-4
The Field: 13 teams (Bucknell, Colgate, Cornell, Holy Cross, Lehigh, Lafayette, Rhode Island, Rider, St. Bonaventure, St. John's, Seton Hall, Villanova and Yale)
Live Stats: GolfStat.com
About the Bison
- Bucknell makes its traditional season-opening trip to Hamilton, N.Y., for the Alex Lagowitz Memorial Invitational this weekend. The 13-team field includes five from the Patriot League, with Lehigh, Lafayette and Holy Cross joining Bucknell and Colgate.
- This is the first of five fall events for the Bison, who will also appear in tournaments hosted by Yale, Howard and Lehigh, in addition to hosting the annual Bucknell Invitational on Oct. 10-12. The Bucknell Invitational will be a three-day affair for the first time.
- The Bison bring back seven of their eight players from last season, although the one graduation loss is a biggie in former All-Patriot Leaguer Chris Tanabe, whose 74.4 career scoring average ranks second in team history. Tanabe is now using his final year of eligibility as a graduate student at Maryland.
- Bucknell's top two returning scorers are both juniors in Blake Wisdom (74.0) and Jackson Bussell (74.3). Wisdom was the low Bison with a T-11th finish at the 2021 Patriot League Championship, and he chalked up three top-10 finishes last spring. Bussell's breakthrough moment came at the Battle at Rum Pointe on the Eastern shore of Maryland, where he captured his first collegiate victory. Bussell shot 71-72 and then used a birdie on the third playoff hole to grab medalist honors.
- Dylan Ford and Jason Lohwater are the team's lone seniors. Lohwater, a Rochester, N.Y., native, has been a regular in the Bison lineup throughout his career. He posted a 3-under 69 at Rum Pointe last spring to help the Bison to the team title.
- Bucknell averaged 296.9 as a team last spring, highlighted by a 1-under 287 in the opening round at Rum Pointe.
- Bussell won Bucknell's preseason team qualifier with a 54-hole total of 214 (+1). Junior Jack Gardner was next at 216, and Lohwater and freshman Michael Rudnick tied for third at 217. Wisdom's opening-round 68 was the best in the field all weekend.
- Rudnick, Jake Maddaloni and John Bradbeer are the team's three newcomers, and all three bring impressive prep credentials to the collegiate ranks. Brabeer is the younger brother of former Bison standout Peter Bradbeer, who graduated in 2020.
- Bussell, Lohwater, Wisdom, Gardner, Rudnick and Maddaloni will all be in the lineup this week in the play-6, count-4 format.
- Bucknell has competed in Colgate's fall tournament every year since 2002 (except for 2011, when the event was rained out, and last year, when it was canceled due to COVID-19). Prior to 2002, Colgate and Cornell ran a combined event for several years, utilizing both schools' courses.
- The Bison have fared well in this event, winning it in 2004 and 2006 while finishing in the top four in 12 of 17 years. Brian Bartow is Bucknell's lone individual champion here. He won the Colgate Invitational in 2009.
- Bucknell's most recent appearance in the tournament came in the fall of 2019, when the Bison finished second to Cornell by three strokes. Jason Lohwater was the team's low man with a 219 (74-74-71), which was good for 11th place. Jack Gardner (77-73-74), Blake Wisdom (77-74-73) and Jackson Bussell (83-76-74) all made their collegiate debuts that week.
- After Colgate's tournament, Bucknell will have three weeks off before traveling to Yale for the McDonald Cup.
Season Preview
Eighth-year head coach Mike Binney is in a familiar spot heading into the 2021-22 season-opener at Colgate this weekend. As has been the case for the last several years, Bucknell returns several high-caliber players who are capable of winning a tournament in any given week, and Binney's hope is to put together a strong fall season in order to build momentum for the spring and contend for a Patriot League title.
"I am extremely excited to see what this group can do this year," said Binney. "We didn't get to have a fall season last year, and although we played pretty well early in the spring and won a tournament, we just didn't have five or six guys firing on all cylinders at Patriot Leagues. We are much deeper this year with the addition of three very good freshmen, and I really think this team has a chance to be better than the one from two years ago when we were in contention almost every week."
A big reason for that optimism stems from the talent in the junior and senior classes. Dylan Ford and Jason Lohwater are the two seniors, and Jackson Bussell, Jack Gardner, Josh Holtschlag and Blake Wisdom comprise a loaded senior class.
Ford has not seen as much action as the others in recent years, but Binney says his ball-striking is at an all-time high. Lohwater was playing terrific golf in the spring of 2020 when the season was halted, and last spring he shot a 3-under 69 to help the Bison to the team title at the Battle at Rum Pointe.
"I expect Jason to be a consistent starter for us this year," said Binney. "He has a smooth, silky swing and he hits it far. He played phenomenally in the qualifier (72-75-70), and I think he can contend at Colgate this week. He's from Western New York and has played very well on that course in the past. It's sort of like a home course for him, and I know he'd love to put himself in position to win there."
Wisdom (74.0) and Bussell (74.3) ranked 1-2 on the team in scoring average last spring, and Bussell broke through and won his first collegiate tournament at Rum Pointe (Gardner and Wisdom were also in the top 10 as the Bison also claimed the team title). Bussell opened the Patriot League Championship with an even-par 72 before struggling in the final two rounds, while Wisdom was Bucknell's top finisher there with a T-11th. Gardner just missed his first tournament win last spring when he lost in a playoff at the Carpetbagger Classic, and he and Holtschlag both made the Patriot League Championship lineup.
"Blake and Jason both played really well in some high-level amateur events this summer, and both seem to me to be tournament-ready as we enter the fall season," said Binney. "Blake is striking the ball very well, and when he gets the putter going he can contend each and every week. Jackson won our qualifier, and in his mind he just wants to pick up where he left off last year. He had a great spring, and he has the positive frame of mind where he views every tournament as a potential win. Jack was only two shots behind Jackson in qualifying, which was a great sign for him. He did an internship this summer where he didn't get to play a lot of tournament golf, but he spent every minute of his free time at the practice range working on his game. And don't sleep on Josh. He qualified for our Patriot League lineup last spring and shot 75-74-74 in our recent qualifier. He could be poised for a big year."
Max Orwicz is the team's lone sophomore. As was the case with many first-year players in 2020-21, the adjustment to college life both as a student and as a Division I student-athlete was not easy with the backdrop of the pandemic. But Binney feels like he could be in for a jump forward this season.
"Max struggled a bit last year, which was to be expected," said Binney. "That's just a tough way to start your career. But he's hitting it as good as ever right now, and he is putting himself in the mix for a travel spot."
Binney is excited about what freshmen Michael Rudnick, Jake Maddaloni and John Bradbeer have brought to the squad. Rudnick shot 72-75-70 in the team qualifier to earn a spot in the lineup for Colgate this week. The Chicago-area native is coming off an impressive prep career at New Trier High School, which finished third at the Illinois state tournament.
Maddaloni, who will also be on the trip to Colgate, attended The Haverford School near Philadelphia and was a highly decorated junior player. He won the Harry Hammond Award for low combined score in the three GAP junior majors after posting rounds of 71-70-71. Bradbeer captained the Harriton High School golf team and also won a Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour event with a round of 72 at Heritage Hills.
"Mike and Jake have really been pushing each other," said Binney. "I am very pleased to take both of them to Colgate for the first tournament of the year. That will be great experience for them. All three of the freshmen are very long off the tee, and they all have pretty swings. Michael hits a beautiful high draw, and John is a lefty who is a left-to-right player. They are all accurate with their wedges and don't really have any major weaknesses."
Players Mentioned
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