East Michigan News

The Eastern Michigan University men's golf team is set to participate in the 48th Gator Invitational, taking place from February 15-16, 2025, in Gainesville, Florida. The tournament will be hosted by the University of Florida at the Mark Bostick Golf Course, a par-70 course spanning 6,701 yards. Fourteen teams will compete over two days with two rounds scheduled for Saturday and one round on Sunday.

The lineup for Eastern Michigan includes James Baxter, Tim Chan, Rory McDonald-O'Brien, Daniel Robles Delval, and Bavake Sihota. Notably, Tim Chan holds a school record after carding a 63 at White Sands and has achieved the second-lowest 54-hole score in program history with a total of 202.

The Gator Invitational is one of the longest-running NCAA Division I golf tournaments in the nation. This year’s field features four teams ranked within the national top 50: Oklahoma State (No. 7), Florida (No. 13), South Florida (No. 27), and Charlotte (No. 30). Other participating teams include Florida Gulf Coast, Furman, Georgia Southern, Jacksonville, Liberty, North Florida, Penn State, UCF, and West Virginia. Additionally, four players are ranked among the national top 50.

This marks Eastern Michigan's first tournament since their participation in the White Sands Bahamas Men's NCAA Invitational last October where they placed seventh out of twelve teams. At that event, Tim Chan finished third individually with a notable performance that included setting a new single-round school record.

Looking ahead to their schedule after Gainesville, Eastern Michigan will compete in six spring events leading up to the MAC Championships scheduled for April in Grove City, Ohio.

Andy Walker was recognized as the Black College Golf Coaches Association Coach of the Year for his achievements during his tenure at VCU.

Eastern Michigan's roster this season comprises eight athletes who are all new to the program. In preparation for future seasons, five new players have been signed to join next summer including three freshmen and two junior transfers from various international locations.

Following their appearance at the Gator Invitational this weekend, Eastern Michigan will head to Henderson, Nevada later this month to participate in another intercollegiate competition hosted by Arkansas State.