Golf preview: Team features four newcomers

The Binghamton golf team opens up its 2017 -18 season this weekend at the Missouri Invitational. Held at Turning Stone (in Verona, N.Y.), it will be the first of five tournaments in which the Bearcats take part this fall.

This year’s squad features a different look from last year, with four newcomers joining three returning players. Still, Bearcats are excited about both their depth and talent.

“We are really looking forward to the season,” head coach Bernie Herceg said. “It’s kind of a brand new team. We have a lot of talented players coming in with three freshmen and a transfer and with the experience we have from the other three guys, I really feel strongly about this season.”

Junior captain Zak Ottman along with sophomores Tom Mandel and Chris Yustin are this year’s veterans. Ottman played in all 10 tournaments last year while Mandel and Yustin each took part in seven of them. Ottman was the Bearcats’ top finisher at the Cornell Fall Invitational.

“Zak has played in every tournament since he’s been here and has tremendous experience,” Herceg said. “He is only going to improve and with him being a leader on the team and helping the younger guys is going to really be great for our team. Tom and Chris got a lot of experience last year which is also going to help them this year.”

A trio of freshman and one transfer, meanwhile, form this year’s incoming group.

Freshman Justin Lane won the New York State Federation title this past spring while fellow rookie Matthew Catton has won three times on the Metropolitan Junior PGA Tour. From Spain comes freshman Nacho Glagovsky, who has placed in the top-10 of his country’s junior national championships.

Transferring from St. Peter’s is junior Ryan Rodriguez, who was fourth overall at last year’s Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) championships and helped the Peacocks win the conference team title.

“All four of our incoming players have extensive junior tournament experience,” Herceg said. “Ryan had a great year at St. Peter’s last year and got to play at the (NCAA) regional tournament. Justin is one of our most highly recruited players of all time from New York. Matt had a very good junior career and Nacho is our first player from overseas and his potential is right there among anybody.”

Herceg got an early look at his team during this weekend’s team qualifier. He was especially impressed with the competitiveness within the squad.

“This was one of our better qualifiers that we’ve had,” Herceg said. “Going into the last round, we had five guys all within two strokes of the lead. That is going to be the tone for the season. Any of our seven players could be in the lineup this year if they have their game ready to go.”

Following the Missouri Invitational, Binghamton takes part in tournaments at Colgate (Sept. 9-10) and Cornell (Sept. 16-17). The Bearcats then host the Matthews Auto Collegiate Invitational Oct. 1-2 and wrap up the fall season at Austin Peay Oct. 16-17.

The spring portion of the schedule opens up at the Jackrabbit Invitational (March 9-10) in Boulder City, Nevada. It will be the same course the Big Sky Championships will be played on April 25-27.

Other spring tournament are at William & Mary (March 25-27), Lafayette (April 1-2), Villanova (April 9-10) and Lehigh (April 14-15).

“We are really excited about the schedule we have put together this year,” Herceg said. “We have been at all of the tournaments before and we are looking forward to hosting the Matthew Auto Intercollegiate Invitational in October. We are also going to play on the (Big Sky) championship course twice this year when we go out for a tournament in March. That will really help our guys having four extra rounds on that course.”