Golf Set to Co-Host Walden Invitational

HOUSTON — The Rice Golf team will host its final tournament of the year, Apr. 3-4, when it co-hosts the Walden Invitational. The tournament will be played at the par-72, 6,756-yard Walden on Lake Conroe Golf Club.

TEAM FIELD

Leading the 14-team field are three teams in the Golfstat Top 100 rankings, including No. 66 Sam Houston, No. 83 Stetson and No. 93 Louisiana-Monroe. Also in the field are Central Michigan, Houston Christian, Incarnate Word, Midland CC, New Orleans, Nicholls State, North Alabama, Tarleton State, UTRGV, and Texas A&M-Commerce.

LIVE SCORING

Fans can follow live scoring of the Walden Invitational by visiting Golfstat.com or by clicking here.

THE LINEUP

Jay Kirchdorfer – No. 1 position … graduate transfer from Kentucky … third on the team with a 73.15 stroke average … leads the team with 11 rounds of par or better … four top-20 finishes … had the best finish of his career at the Bayou City Collegiate Classic, tying for second-place … his performance earned him Conference USA Golfer of the Week … tied for 14^th-place at the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational … opened the tournament by firing a career-best 68, his first career round in the 60's …tied for 18^th-place at the Clerico … tied for 19^th-plcae at the Tempest Collegiate … twice carded a 70 at the season-opening Jim Rivers Intercollegiate.

Raghav Chugh – No. 2 position … two-time Conference USA Golfer of the Week … is first since 1991 in career stroke average (72.48) and average vs. par (+0.81) … is second the team with a 72.43 stroke average and 10 rounds of par or better … has a team-high six rounds in the 60's … had the best tournament finish of his career, tying for second-place at the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational … tied for third at the Border Olympics … tied for 17^th-place at the Tempest Collegiate … 2022 Conference USA Freshman of the Year … 2022 Conference USA All-Freshman Team.

Blake Benson – No. 3 position … has a 74.95 stroke average … has four rounds of par or better … had his best finish of the year at the Craft Farms Intercollegiate, tying for fourth-place … set career-best for low round (69), 36-hole score (144) and 54-hole score (214) … tied for 22^nd-place at the Houston Classic … tied for 34^th-place at the Tempest Collegiate … tied for 79^th-place at the season-opening Jim Rivers Intercollegiate … carded his first career round of par or better in the first round with a one-under 71.

Lukas Boandl – No. 4 position … has a 74.88 stroke average … has six rounds of par or better … had his best finish of the year at the Clerico, tying for 18^th-place … tied for 22^nd-place at the Bayou City Collegiate Classic after carding consecutive 71's … tied for 26^th-place at the Tempest Collegiate … made his first career start at the Jim Rivers Intercollegiate … tied for 59^th-place at the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational … carded his first career round of par or better in the first round by shooting an even par 70.

Forrest Park – No. 5 position … averaging 76.11 strokes per round … has three round of par or better … tied for 29^th-place at the Tempest Collegiate, carding a 73 in the second round … tied for 38^th-place at the Bayou City Collegiate Classic, firing a second round 71.

Thomas Bockholt III – Individual … is making his third start of the season … has a stroke average of 79.67 … tied for 30^th-place at the All-American Individual.

Davis Byrd – Individual … has a 79.80 stroke average … tied for 22^nd-place at the All-American Individual … carded a season-best 73 in the first round of the Bayou City Collegiate Classic … opened the season at the Jim Rivers Intercollegiate … named All-State by the Texas Association of Golf Coaches in 2020-21.

Rodrigo Martin – Individual … has a 79.93 stroke average … tied for 24^th at the Clerico, where he carded a season-best 72 in the first round … tied for 28^th-place at the All-American Individual.

PAIRINGS

The Owls will tee off at 8 a.m. CT from holes 1 through 4. Rice will compete in groups with student-athletes from Louisiana-Monroe, Sam Houston and Stetson. Tuesday's tee times and pairings will depend on results following the previous round.

UP NEXT

The Owls return to the links in three weeks, Apr. 24-27, when it heads to Texarkana, Ark., for the Conference USA Championship.

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Players Mentioned

Blake Benson

Lukas Boandl

Thomas Bockholt III

Davis Byrd

Raghav Chugh

Jay Kirchdorfer

Rodrigo Martin

Forrest Park

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