WVU Golf Opens Season In Florida

WVU Golf Opens Season In Florida
WVU, PSU to Battle in Florida

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (Feb. 3, 2018) – The West Virginia University golf team starts spring play on Sunday when the Mountaineers face rival Penn State in a rare head-to-head matchup for the Athletic Directors Trophy at Reunion Resort in Orlando, Florida.

The series between the two dates back to 1971 and was originally a four-way competition amongst WVU, Penn State, Syracuse and Pitt. The Nittany Lions won the battle in 1971 and 1972 before Pitt, Syracuse and WVU all discontinued their golf programs. The Mountaineers and the Nittany Lions resumed the rivalry last season with Penn State claiming the 377-386 win.

Six players will represent each team in 18 holes of stroke play with the top five scores counting for each program. Matthew Sharpstene, Max Sear, Tristan Nicholls, Logan Perkins, Etienne Papineau and Philipp Matlari will compete for the Mountaineers. They’ll tee off on the 7,154-yard, par 72 Tom Watson course starting at 8:30 a.m. ET

“I think it’s great to bring this historic trophy back to life. Really appreciate Coach Greg Nye and his support of this event,” WVU coach Sean Covich said. “Penn State has qualified for NCAA postseason play three consecutive years and advanced to the NCAA Finals last season so they’re certainly a program we have a lot of respect for. This is an opportunity for our young program to compete in a unique event, we will learn about our younger guys like Logan Perkins, Matthew Sharpstene and Phillip Matlari. Looking forward to seeing where our games are this early in the season.”

Papineau leads the team in scoring with a stroke average of 72.42. Sharpstene, who became WVU’s first-ever Big 12 Golfer of the Month in December, is coming off a top-20 finish at the Ka’anapali Classic Collegiate Invitational. He ranks second on the team with a scoring average of 73.17.

Sear boasts a scoring average of 73.75 and a pair of top-10 finishes on the season. He competed in last season’s Athletic Directors Trophy Battle, as did Nicholls and Papineau.

The Mountaineers return to Florida Feb. 11-13, traveling to Palm City to play in the Martins Down Collegiate.

via WVU Sports