Monday, October 9
Newton, KS
All Day
Rice University
at
Grier Jones Shocker Invitational
Photo by: 2023 Darren Carroll
Golf Heads to Kansas for Grier Jones Shocker Invitational
10/8/2023 2:36:00 PM | Men's Golf
HOUSTON — The Rice Golf team returns to the links when it travels to Newton, Kan., for the Grier Jones Shocker Invitational, Oct. 9-10, played at Sand Creek Station Golf Club.
TEAM FIELD
Joining Rice in the 15-team field are Abilene Christian, Air Force, Denver, Drake, Hutch CC, LaSalle, Missouri State, Northern Iowa, SIU-Edwardsville, UT-Arlington, UTRGV, Texas A&M-Commerce and host Wichita State.
JUSTIN EMIL QUOTABLE
"We are ready to get back out there and compete. The guys are hungry and ready for redemption this week in Kansas."
LIVE SCORING
Fans can follow live scoring of the Grier Jones Shocker Invitational by visiting Golfstat.com or by clicking here.
THE LINEUP
Jay Kirchdorfer – No. 1 position … leads the team with a 72.17 stroke average … three rounds of par or better … tied for 12th at the Argent Financial Classic (9/10-12), where he set a career-low 36-hole score of 139 … 2023 Third Team All-Conference USA … C-USA Men's Golfer of the Week (Feb. 22, 2023).
Lukas Boandl – No. 2 position … second on the team with a 72.33 stroke average … team-high four rounds of par or better … tied for 12th at the Argent Financial Classic (9/10-12), where he set a career-low 54-hole score of 213 … 2023 Conference USA All-Freshman Team.
Jaivir Pande – No. 3 position … has a 74.33 stroke average … tied for 58th-place at the Argent Financial Classic, where he fired a second round 67 … won the 96th Texas Junior Amateur, birdieing the final hole to win by one stroke ... had four Top-20 finishes on the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) Tour, including a runner-up at the UHY St. Louis Junior...in 2020, was named to the AJGA's Junior All-Star Team ... also finished second at the Texas Junior Golf Tour's (TJGT) Masters/IMG World Qualifier, finishing 10-under par ... won the 2021 National Drive, Chip and Putt Championship, played at Augusta National Golf Course.
Raghav Chugh – No. 4 position … is first since 1991 in career stroke average (72.68) and average vs. par (+0.97) … has a 75.33 stroke average … tied for 67th-place at the Argent Financial Classic (9/10-12) … carded a season-best 72 in the first round of the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational (10/2) .. 2023 First Team All-Conference USA … three-time C-USA Men's Golfer of the Week … a year ago, led the team with a 72.25 stroke average, the fourth lowest in a season since 1991 … also led the squad in rounds in the 60's (7), top 10 finishes (3) and top five finishes (2) … second on the team with 12 rounds of par or better … had the best tournament finish of his career at the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational (10/3-4), taking second-place at six-under par.
Blake Benson – No. 5 position … has a 76.33 stroke average … tied for 79th-place at the Argent Financial Classic (9/10-12) … 2023 Conference USA All-Academic Team … a year ago, participated in nine events … fourth on the team with a 75.19 stroke average … five rounds of par or better … had the best finish of his career at the Craft Farms Intercollegiate (3/26-27), tying for fourth-place at two-under par … fired a career-low 69 in the second round … also set career-lows for 36-hole (144) and 54-hole score (214).
Braeden Hoyt – Individual … led Cypress Creek to back-to-back appearances in the UIL Golf state championship ... in 2021, finished second at the Region II-6A tournament ... last year, he earned three top 10 finishes on the American Junior Golf Association Tour (AJGA), including a tie for third-place at the Insperity Invitational/Patrick Reed AJGA Junior Championship.
PAIRINGS
The Owls will tee off from holes No. 13-15 starting at 8 a.m. CT. Rice will compete in groups with student-athletes from UT-Arlington. Tuesday's tee times and pairings will depend on results following the previous round.
UP NEXT
Following the Grier Jones Shocker Invitational, the Owls will close its fall schedule on Oct. 28-29, when it travels to Loxley, Ala., for the Steelwood Collegiate Invitational, hosted by South Alabama.
TEAM FIELD
Joining Rice in the 15-team field are Abilene Christian, Air Force, Denver, Drake, Hutch CC, LaSalle, Missouri State, Northern Iowa, SIU-Edwardsville, UT-Arlington, UTRGV, Texas A&M-Commerce and host Wichita State.
JUSTIN EMIL QUOTABLE
"We are ready to get back out there and compete. The guys are hungry and ready for redemption this week in Kansas."
LIVE SCORING
Fans can follow live scoring of the Grier Jones Shocker Invitational by visiting Golfstat.com or by clicking here.
THE LINEUP
Jay Kirchdorfer – No. 1 position … leads the team with a 72.17 stroke average … three rounds of par or better … tied for 12th at the Argent Financial Classic (9/10-12), where he set a career-low 36-hole score of 139 … 2023 Third Team All-Conference USA … C-USA Men's Golfer of the Week (Feb. 22, 2023).
Lukas Boandl – No. 2 position … second on the team with a 72.33 stroke average … team-high four rounds of par or better … tied for 12th at the Argent Financial Classic (9/10-12), where he set a career-low 54-hole score of 213 … 2023 Conference USA All-Freshman Team.
Jaivir Pande – No. 3 position … has a 74.33 stroke average … tied for 58th-place at the Argent Financial Classic, where he fired a second round 67 … won the 96th Texas Junior Amateur, birdieing the final hole to win by one stroke ... had four Top-20 finishes on the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) Tour, including a runner-up at the UHY St. Louis Junior...in 2020, was named to the AJGA's Junior All-Star Team ... also finished second at the Texas Junior Golf Tour's (TJGT) Masters/IMG World Qualifier, finishing 10-under par ... won the 2021 National Drive, Chip and Putt Championship, played at Augusta National Golf Course.
Raghav Chugh – No. 4 position … is first since 1991 in career stroke average (72.68) and average vs. par (+0.97) … has a 75.33 stroke average … tied for 67th-place at the Argent Financial Classic (9/10-12) … carded a season-best 72 in the first round of the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational (10/2) .. 2023 First Team All-Conference USA … three-time C-USA Men's Golfer of the Week … a year ago, led the team with a 72.25 stroke average, the fourth lowest in a season since 1991 … also led the squad in rounds in the 60's (7), top 10 finishes (3) and top five finishes (2) … second on the team with 12 rounds of par or better … had the best tournament finish of his career at the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational (10/3-4), taking second-place at six-under par.
Blake Benson – No. 5 position … has a 76.33 stroke average … tied for 79th-place at the Argent Financial Classic (9/10-12) … 2023 Conference USA All-Academic Team … a year ago, participated in nine events … fourth on the team with a 75.19 stroke average … five rounds of par or better … had the best finish of his career at the Craft Farms Intercollegiate (3/26-27), tying for fourth-place at two-under par … fired a career-low 69 in the second round … also set career-lows for 36-hole (144) and 54-hole score (214).
Braeden Hoyt – Individual … led Cypress Creek to back-to-back appearances in the UIL Golf state championship ... in 2021, finished second at the Region II-6A tournament ... last year, he earned three top 10 finishes on the American Junior Golf Association Tour (AJGA), including a tie for third-place at the Insperity Invitational/Patrick Reed AJGA Junior Championship.
PAIRINGS
The Owls will tee off from holes No. 13-15 starting at 8 a.m. CT. Rice will compete in groups with student-athletes from UT-Arlington. Tuesday's tee times and pairings will depend on results following the previous round.
UP NEXT
Following the Grier Jones Shocker Invitational, the Owls will close its fall schedule on Oct. 28-29, when it travels to Loxley, Ala., for the Steelwood Collegiate Invitational, hosted by South Alabama.
Players Mentioned
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