University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
BIG EAST MATCH PLAY
UConn Golfers Begin Spring Season At BIG EAST Match Play
2/5/2023 2:08:00 PM | Men's Golf
UConn Athletic Communications / Feb. 5, 2023
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The UConn men's golf team begins the spring portion of its 2022-23 schedule with BIG EAST Match Play, set for Monday and Tuesday at Bear Lakes Country Club in West Palm Beach. Fla.
Golf teams from UConn, Butler, DePaul and St. John's will compete in the event, which is in its second year, uses match play format and allows the four teams some solid competition before they begin their spring tournament schedules. UConn won the event last year, posting an overall 11-3-4 record to top Seton Hall, Creighton and Butler.
"We're excited to play in this event," UConn Coach Dave Pezzino said. "It gives us an opportunity to see who we are now, one through seven. We've been working hard at the facility at Chris Cote's (Portland) and our own Marks Center (Storrs) and I'm looking forward to seeing that hard work pay off."
The Huskies will be led by grad student Jared Nelson (Rutland, Vt.), who was the team's leading scorer (69.9 per round) through the fall portion of the schedule. Also participating in Match Play for the Huskies will be junior Tommy Dallahan (71.9), junior Jimmy Paradise (72.7), sophomore Trevor Lopez (74.2), sophomore Eric Boulger (79.0), freshman Connor Goode (77.3) and freshman Colin Spencer (74.9).
The match play format is not the norm during the regular season, but it comes into play during postseason golf.
"I like to mix in some match play because the (NCAA) Championship finals are match play," Pezzino said.
Mostly, however, the event is about getting the team back on the course in a competitive environment after a three-month break.
"This gives our guys an opportunity to show some maturity all the way down the lineup, to understand that one bad swing doesn't end a round," Pezzino said. "They can make a mistake and it's not going to cost them the whole tournament. We're looking for a gritty effort out of the guys for the next couple of days. We are looking for positives out of everybody."
After BIG EAST Match Play, the Huskies will compete in five tournaments before the BIG EAST Tournament in late April.
"We want to build toward a peak in late May," Pezzino said, "and this is just the beginning of it."
Players Mentioned
