East Michigan News

The Eastern Michigan University men's golf team is preparing for its last event before the postseason, participating in the Robert Kepler Intercollegiate scheduled for April 18-19, 2025. The tournament takes place at the Ohio State Golf Club's Scarlet Course, featuring a par-71 layout over 7,455 yards. Twelve other teams will join EMU, including Kent State University from the Mid-American Conference.

Participating for Eastern Michigan are Rory McDonald-O'Brien, Daniel Robles Delval, Tim Chan, Bavake Sihota, and James Baxter. The competition precedes the 2025 MAC Championships slated for April 27-29 at Pinnacle Golf Club in Grove City, Ohio.

The Eagles come into the Robert Kepler Intercollegiate following a sixth-place finish at The Stitch Intercollegiate in Raleigh, North Carolina, with Rory McDonald-O'Brien tying for eighth individually. Tim Chan and Daniel Robles Delval have each recorded top-10 finishes twice this season. The team averages a 291.8 four-player season score, tied for the third-best in program history.

"The Robert Kepler Intercollegiate is the final event of the regular season before the Eagles head to the 2025 MAC Championships, April 27-20, at Pinnacle Golf Club in Grove City, Ohio," an EMU source said. "As a team, the Eagles sport a 291.8 four-player season average, which currently is tied for the third-best average in program history."

The event will see 13 teams compete, initiating the first round at 7:30 a.m. Players will start from holes 1 and 10. The Scarlet Course was updated in a restoration led by Jack Nicklaus in 2005-2006. Ranked among the national top 100 are Colorado State, Kent State, Nebraska, and host Ohio State, along with notable ranked individual players from the field.

Tim Chan has delivered standout performances, such as a school-record 63 at White Sands, making significant adjustments to the program's records. "Tim Chan fired a program-record 63 in the second round at White Sands, surpassing the 64 shot six times previously by five different players with the last coming in 2018 (Tyler Lewis)."

The Kepler Tourney, held annually since 1969, marks the 27th appearance for Eastern Michigan, which first participated in 1975. The Eagles achieved a win in the 2010 event with a notable score of 861. Following the Kepler Intercollegiate, Eastern Michigan will focus on concluding their season with a strong performance in the MAC Championships.