FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Monday, September 12, 2016 MSUB men’s golf season preview: Mike Grob Cup kicks off this week
MSUB’s men’s golf team kicks off its 2016-17 season this week with its annual match-cup play against Rocky Mountain College. BILLINGS, Mont. – Kicking off its fall season this week, the Montana State University Billings men’s golf team is getting prepared for a full slate of action over the next month. The Yellowjackets will begin their year with their traditional match play round against Rocky Mountain College, with this year’s event being titled the Mike Grob Cup in honor of the local golf legend. “I was very excited when Mike accepted our offer of naming our annual match-play cup after him,” said MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin. “He is a Billings golf legend and his career and contributions to golf have been remarkable.” The two-day event will feature action at Lake Hills Golf Club on Thursday starting at 1 p.m., and Peter Yegen Golf Club on Friday at 1 p.m. The format on the first day will include nine holes of 4-ball followed by nine holes of singles, and on the second day the teams will play nine holes of alternate shot followed by nine holes of singles.
It will be preceded by a kickoff banquet at MSUB on Wednesday evening, where KTVQ’s Casey Conlon will serve as master of ceremonies. Pairings for the weekend and introductions will occur at the banquet. The team’s first tournament of the year is scheduled for Sept. 23-24 at Saint Martin’s University in Lacey, Wash. The men’s squad will also play tournaments at Western Washington University on Sept. 26-27, Rocky Mountain College on Oct. 3-4, and at Concordia University (Ore.) on Oct. 17-18. Leading MSUB’s team this year will be returning seniors Connor Miele and Michael Porter. Miele led MSUB at last year’s Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships, shooting a threeround total of 219 (72-70-77) to tie for 14th place. The Everett, Wash., native had a pair of top-5 finishes last season, and led the team with seven par rounds as a junior. Porter is another key returner, after leading the team with a scoring average of 74.6 strokes a season ago. The Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, native also had the team’s lowest individual round with a 67 last spring, and matched Miele with two top-5 finishes as a junior.
Senior Connor Miele and the Yellowjackets kick off their fall season this week with match play against Rocky.
“I expect a lot out of them, both as leaders and as players,” Woodin commented on his top returners. “Connor is our returning captain from last year, and Michael is a very consistent player who did a fabulous job as a junior.”
Scott Larson and Austin Walter are MSUB’s other two returners who have experience, while sophomore Dylan Meccage is set to make his Yellowjacket debut after being sidelined with injuries. Larson stole headlines with his very first swing as a collegiate golfer, which landed in the cup as he aced his first-ever hole last fall. Overall on the year Larson ranked fourth on the team with a scoring average of 78.3 and had one top-10 finish. Steadily improving throughout the year, Walter put together his best round last spring with a 73 at the Western New Mexico Invitational. He averaged a score of 79.2 overall on the season, and competed in 21 rounds in his debut season with MSUB. The team’s two new additions figure to contribute immediately, with freshmen Caleb Stetzner and Garrett Woodin bringing impressive prep resumes to the Yellowjackets’ program. Stetzner, a native of Anaconda, Mont., won the 2015 Montana Class A state title in golf and was a two-time division champion. As of last fall, Stetzner had 13 tournament wins and a career-best single-round score of 70. Woodin, a Billings West High School graduate and son of Coach Woodin, placed in the top-5 in 6 of 7 events he competed in as a senior, and led his team to the Montana Class AA state title. Woodin won the Billings Invitational on Aug. 24-25, 2015, with a two-round score of 142 (70-72). --@MSUBSports | #JacketNation--