Young men's golf squad looking to continue strong fall season into the spring

ORANGE, Calif. – The Chapman University men's golf team begins its spring season on Saturday with a single round match against Whittier, Pomona-Pitzer and Occidental. After a record-breaking effort in the fall, the Panthers have high hopes for a strong championship season.

The youth of the program led the Panthers through the fall and head coach Ming Lao will expect to see more of the same through the spring. With no seniors on the roster, junior Griffin Tso takes over the role of captain and returns the most experience of anyone on the roster.

Freshman Avery Keating immediately made his presence known this fall when he made his debut with a record-breaking round and tournament. He led the Panthers to a second-place finish out of nine teams at the CA State Intercollegiate with two of the lowest rounds in Chapman history.

Juniors Dallas Haun and Brent Bjorndahl as well as freshman Brody Hval each finished under par for at least one round during the fall to help the Panthers.

Chapman gets a preview of the golf course where the regular season will end with Saturday's Poet Challenge being played at Los Serranos. The Panthers will also tee off in a pair of two-round SCIAC Tournaments that will figure into the final standings this spring. The schedule also includes the West Cup and a dual match with Cal Lutheran.

After a strong start to the fall, Chapman entered the Golf Coaches Association of America's top-25 poll at No. 18 but fell from the ranking at the end of the fall season. Golfstat has the Panthers ranked 32nd in Division III entering the spring. Tso and Hval each rank in the top-150 Division III golfers in the nation.

By Steven Olveda
Sports Information Director

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