Men's Golf Seeks to Repeat Low Scores at Loyola Intercollegiate in Arizona

Sunday, February 25

Goodyear, Ariz. (Palm Valley GC)

All Day

Bucknell University

Loyola Intercollegiate

Men's Golf Seeks to Repeat Low Scores at Loyola Intercollegiate in Arizona

2/23/2024 11:20:00 AM | Men's Golf

Setting the Scene
What: 2024 Loyola Intercollegiate
When: Sunday-Tuesday, Feb. 25-27 (9:45 a.m. ET (7:45 a.m. local) shotgun starts each day)
Where: Par-72, 7,015-yard Palm Valley Golf Club (North/South Course), Goodyear, Ariz.
The Field: 20 teams (Air Force, Boise State, Bucknell, Delaware, Drake, Eastern Michigan, Gonzaga, Howard, Idaho, James Madison, Loyola Maryland, Marshall, Missouri State, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Seton Hall, SIU-Edwardsville, South Dakota, South Dakota State, Utah Valley)

Live Scoring: GolfStat

About the Bison

Some of Bucknell's lowest team scores in program history have come at Loyola's spring event at Palm Valley Golf Club, and the Bison return to that venue this Sunday through Tuesday for their second tournament of the spring campaign.
Bucknell made its 2024 debut two weeks ago at the Palmas del Mar Collegiate in Puerto Rico, and the Bison struggled to keep up with a star-studded field. They improved each day with scores of 306-299-296, but 11 of the 16 teams in the field finished under par over 54 holes, led by champion Arkansas at -27 and tournament host UNC Greensboro at -20.
Freshman Alex Creamean bounced back from a first-round 78 to post 1-under 71 in both the second and third rounds. Creamean, who was named the Patriot League Golfer of the Week after that performance, has now posted a red number in seven of his last nine rounds dating back to the fall season.
Bucknell's low round in Puerto Rico was a 2-under 70 from indie Jake Maddaloni in round two.
Creamean heads up this week's lineup, joined by Andres Barraza, James Key, James Robbins, and Michael Rudnick. Lyman Brackett will compete as an individual.
This is the second of five spring tournaments leading up to the 2024 Patriot League Championship, which will be held this year at Saucon Valley Country Club.
The Bison competed in five fall tournaments, finishing in the top four in four of them while posting an average round of 292.3. Their highest finish was third at the Bucknell Invitational in October, and they finished out the fall campaign with a fourth-place showing at the Veterans Intercollegiate at Sebonack GC on Long Island.
Creamean capped a tremendous first fall season with a win at the Veterans Intercollegiate. Creamean fired a pair of 2-under-par 70s for a three-shot win, and he became the first freshman in Bucknell history to win a tournament.
Creamean broke par in five of his last six fall rounds, lowering his season scoring average to 72.076. That was just a fraction of a stroke behind Chris Tanabe (72.066 in 2019) and Blake Wisdom (72.071) for the team record for low average in a fall season. Creamean's mark was the best-ever for a freshman in his first semester of competition.

Bucknell at the Loyola Intercollegiate

The Bison are appearing at the Loyola Intercollegiate for the fourth time, having finished sixth in 2020, eighth in 2022, and tied for sixth last season. The 2020 event was the final competition before the season was shut down due to COVID-19, and the 2021 tournament was canceled due to the pandemic.
Bucknell in its history has shot 5-under or better as a team eight times, with five of them coming at Patriot League rival Loyola's spring tournament in Arizona. Last season, the Bison posted a 6-under 282, which is tied for the second-best round in relation to par in school history. The record is a 7-under 281 on the way to a title at the 2018 Quechee Club Collegiate Challenge.
The Bison have also posted 5-under 283 four times at Palm Valley GC, twice in 2020 and twice in 2022. Bucknell's 858 here in 2020 is the third-best 54-hole score in team history.
Four Bison have gone as low as 68 in this event: Jackson Bussell in 2023, Jack Gardner in 2022, and Chris Tanabe and Blake Wisdom in 2020.
Bucknell compiled a 2-under 862 (293-282-287) last season and finished T-6th in a field of 19 teams. Utah Valley (-21) edged Marquette (-20) by one shot to win the team title, while Drake's Lucas Scherf was the medalist at 12-under 204 (72-63-69).
Bussell was the low Bison last year at 3-under 213, sparked by a second-round 68. Barraza (73-75-69), Rudnick (75-71-73), and Key (74-73-78) all return this weekend after playing in the event in 2023.
For Sunday's opening round, Bucknell will be paired with South Dakota, Eastern Michigan, and Boise State, starting on holes 9-12.

Next Up

The Bison return to action on March 11-12 at the Bash at the Beach, hosted by Appalachian State at the Surf Golf & Beach Club in North Myrtle Beach, S.C.