April 17, 2008

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - After snow showers cut the final round of last year's Navy Spring Invitational short, the Navy golf team is looking forward to a sunshine-filled weekend of competition when it plays host to the 2008 Navy Spring Invitational on Saturday and Sunday at the par-71 USNA Golf Course in Annapolis.

Three squads will represent Navy - Blue, Gold and White - in the 16-team tournament, along with Bucknell, Colgate, George Washington, Florida Gulf Coast, Johnson & Wales, Iona, Lafayette, La Salle, Lehigh, Millersville, St. Francis (Pa.), Saint Peter's and West Chester.

In the 28 years the Navy Spring Invitational has been played, 17 different schools have claimed the team title. There have been nine different winners in the last 10 years with Navy being the only repeat winner in 2003 and '06. There are only two previous winners among this year's field - Navy and Johnson & Wales, who took the title in 2004 with a 35-over par 603.

"We are thrilled to have some strong teams play in our annual spring tournament and we are looking forward to a great weekend of golf," said Navy head coach Pat Owen. "We will rely on the strength of our upperclassmen, but we have some great young players who have enjoyed success this year, as well. I'm excited to see who steps up to the challenge especially with the Patriot League Tournament just a week away."

Last year, St. Bonaventure (300, +16) became the 17th different institution to win the team title by virtue of its 1-stroke lead over Longwood after round one. The tournament was called the following day after snow showers covered the course. Seton Hall's Kyle Morris earned the individual crown with a 2-under par 69, the only player to shoot under par in the opening round.

Meanwhile, the Navy Blue team tied with George Washington for 15th with a 32-over par 316, while the Mids' Gold team finished ninth with a 26-over par 310. The Navy White squad tied for 22nd with a 41-over 325 alongside Lehigh. Two Midshipmen finished in the top 15, including freshman John Moore (Winnetka, Ill.) who played with the Navy White team. Moore and sophomore Eric Stinson (Spotsylvania, Va.) (Navy Blue) produced a 4-over par 75 to tie for 14th. Meanwhile another duo placed among the top 25. Sophomore John Montemayor (Woodbridge, Va.) paced the Navy Gold team with a 5-over par 76.

Navy's Blue squad will tee-off on the first hole at 10:30 am on Saturday, marking just its fifth competition (fourth tournament) of the spring. The Mids opened up by tying Cal State Monterey Bay in a Ryder Cup-style dual in mid-March. They went on to place third (of 20) at the George Washington Invitational, ninth (of 19) at the Lacrosse Homes Collegiate Invitational and 15th (of 15) at the River Landing Intercollegiate last weekend.

Seniors Erich Schoen (Sylvania, Ohio) and Chris Renninger (Darnesville, Md.) are pacing the Mids. Schoen, who led Navy with a ninth-place finish at the George Washington Invitational, owns a 75.6 stroke average, while Renninger boasts a 76.4 average and topped the team at the Lacrosse Homes Collegiate Invitational with a 19th-place finish.

Last weekend junior John Montemayor turned in a 9-over par 225 to finish 54th at the River Landing Intercollegiate which featured five of the top 50 programs in the country. On the year, Montemayor owns a 77.6 stroke average.

Navy's white time will tee-off on hole one at 9:00, while the gold team is slated for a 9:45 start.