University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
BIG EAST MATCH PLAY
UCONN GOLFERS BEGIN SPRING SCHEDULE WITH BIG EAST MATCH PLAY
2/4/2022 11:16:00 PM | Men's Golf
UConn Athletic Communications / Feb. 5, 2022
The UConn men's golf team will begin the spring portion of its 2021-22 season when it participates in a BIG EAST Match Play event on Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 7-8, at Bear Lakes Country Club in West Palm Beach, Fla.
The six-team tourney – which includes UConn, Seton Hall, Creighton, St. John's and Butler from the BIG EAST, along with Sacred Heart to round out the field – will feature two matches for each team on Monday, with the teams with the most points meeting Tuesday for the tourney title. The remaining four teams will also meet in Tuesday matches to determine third through sixth place.
"It's great for our guys to get out and play hole-by-hole individual match play, where a guy can stub his toe and not have it be too costly to a four-round score," UConn Coach Dave Pezzino said. "It gives our guys an opportunity to see what match play is like because that's our goal – to get to the match play for the NCAA championship."
The tourney will feature six players from each team, with all six matches counting toward the team's score. UConn players include sophomore Caleb Manuel (Topsham, Me.), senior Jared Nelson (Rutland, Vt.), sophomore Tommy Dallahan (Simsbury,Conn.), sophomore Jimmy Paradise (Tampa, Fla.), freshman Trevor Lopez (Winchester, Mass.) and senior Nick Hampoian (North Reading, Mass.).
"We had a training trip this past weekend and I liked what I saw," Pezzino said. "There was a lot of good energy and a lot of great team camaraderie and I think that's important in college golf. I think this is a good way to morph into the season, is to be able to play in something that can get you 'on form,' and not worry about being perfect right away."
The Huskies have been off from college competition since playing in the Ka'anapali Classic Collegiate Invitational in Maui on Oct. 29-31. UConn played in five event during the fall portion of its schedule, finishing no lower than fifth and grabbing two second-place finishes.
Manuel is led the Huskies in scoring in the fall at 69.5 strokes per round, with 11 rounds of par-or-better and five Top 10 finishes, including winning the individual title at the UConn Invitational at GreatHorse.
Nelson has also been outstanding with a 71.3 average, seven rounds of par-or-better, two Top 10 and four Top 20 finishes. The rest of the Huskies competing on Monday have also been solid – Lopez averaging 72.9, Dallahan at 73.1, Hampoian at 74.3 and Paradise at 74.4.
All kept active during the three-month hiatus.
"A lot of the guys will go South and they'll practice on their own, or they'll play in tournaments," Pezzino said. "But for the most part, it's the player's responsibility to be on form and be ready to go when school begins. And obviously, there's a little bit of a setback, but the ability to get your game ready is part of it."
The Huskies will return to stroke play on Feb. 13-15 when they compete in the Advance Golf Partners Collegiate at Hammock Creek Golf Club in Palm City, Fla.
UConn will then have five more events, leading up to the BIG EAST Championship on April 24-26, at Callawassie Golf Club in Okatie, S.C. UConn is the defending BIG EAST champion.
Players Mentioned
