Big East men to compete for conference crown

The Big East Men’s Golf Championship Presented by Jeep started with a practice round Saturday, kicking off the fourth time that Callawassie Island has hosted the tournament scheduled for 54 holes.

The champion of the event, set to start Sunday and conclude Tuesday, will earn an automatic invitation to the 2017 NCAA Championship. If the individual champion is not a member of the winning team, he will also earn a spot in the NCAA Championship. The Big East team and individual champions will be crowned on Callawassie Island on Tuesday.

In 2016, the Georgetown Hoyas took home the Big East crown, finishing 27 strokes ahead of second-place Xavier. Last weekend, the women’s golf team from Georgetown won a conference title.

Marquette is listed as the No. 1 men’s seed according to GolfStat.

DePaul, Marquette, Villanova, Seton Hall, Georgetown, Xavier, Butler, St. John’s and Creighton are among the teams in the field. Seton Hall features Lloyd Jefferson Go, whose stroke average of 70.6 is an all-time university best. His career average of 72.19 is tops at the university, too.

Play begins Sunday at 8 a.m. at Callawassie Island’s Magnolia and Dogwood courses. Admission is free.

This story was originally published April 29, 2017 at 9:15 PM with the headline "Big East men to compete for conference crown."