PUEBLO, Colo. (October 2, 2020) – Colorado State University Pueblo Men's Golf will open its 2020-21 season with their annual home tournament, the Farmers Insurance Samuel Proal Invitational, Monday October 5 through Tuesday October 6 at Walking Stick Golf Course in Pueblo.
This will be the first time the ThunderWolves have teed off since March 3, when they had a dominant showing in the Las Vegas Desert Classic, defeating 10 ranked teams en route to a second place finish. The Pack ended the 2019-20 season ranked No. 21 in the D-II GolfStat rankings.
Andrew Ni (Jr., Edinburgh, Scotland, UK) has won the Farmers Insurance Samuel Proal Invitational in each of the last two seasons. Ni finished -11 (205) at last year's event. He is a combined -26 at this event in the last two seasons.
Ni earned D-II Ping All-American honors in 2019-20. He was the No. 17 ranked golfer in D-II last season according to GolfStat. Ni set a Pack record last season with a 71.20 stroke average.
Nathan McCann (Jr., Lurgan Armagh, Ireland) also has had success at the Pack's home events. He won the Farmers Insurance Samuel Proal Invitational in 2018.
McCann holds the second-best career scoring average in program history. He owns a 72.93 stroke average in his career.
Clay Kucera (Jr., Chaska, Minn.) posted a 73.50 scoring average in his debut season with the Pack, ranking him second on the team. Kucera finished 18th at the Farmers Insurance Samuel Proal Invitational a year ago with a+5 (221). He shot a -3 (69) in his last round of last season.
Jamie Roberts (Fr., Kinross, Scotland, UK) will look to build on a strong freshman campaign. Roberts finished 2019-20 with a 73.60 stroke average, third-best on the Pack. He placed a season-best 11th at the 2019 Farmers Insurance Samuel Proal Invitational.
Sam Barthram (Jr., Weybridge, Surrey, England, UK) averaged 74.00 strokes per round in 2019-20. He placed 20th at the Pack's home tournament a year ago. Barthram also earned RMAC Academic Golfer of the Year honors in 2019-20.
Sanjay Nithiyalingam (So., Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England, UK) helped the Pack place second at the Las Vegas Desert Classic. He finished 26th at the 2019 Farmers Insurance Samuel Proal Invitational.
Austin Burgess (Sr., Colorado Springs, Colo.) is the lone senior on the Pack's roster. Burgess placed 42nd at this event a year ago. His best showing at the event came in 2017 when he finished 13th with a +2 (218).
Matt Millar (Fr., Devon, England, UK) will make his Pack debut Monday. Millar, the Pack's lone freshman won the Devon Amateur Championship and has carded multiple 66s in his young career.
Fans are welcome at Walking Stick Golf Course for the tournament provided that they follow Pueblo County social distancing and safety protocol. Fans are not permitted onto the course until 9 a.m. when the tournament starts.
The Field:
University of Arkansas Fort Smith, Colorado Christian University, Colorado Mesa University, Colorado School of Mines, Dodge City Community College, Fort Lewis College, Hutchinson Community College, South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, Texas A&M University International, and Westminster College all will compete with the Pack Monday and Tuesday at Walking Stick.
The Course:
Walking Stick Golf Course spans 7,200 yards and par stands at 72. Walking Stick Golf Course holds a rating of 72.0 and it has a slope rating of 134 on blue grass. Designed by Arthur Hills, ASGCA, Walking Stick Golf Course opened in 1991.
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