Men's Golf | April 14, 2016

GLADWYNE, Pa. - The La Salle golf team will host its fifth annual home tournament on Monday at Philadelphia Country Club to wrap up the regular season. The event was renamed the Finegan Invitational last year in memory of noted golfer and writer Jim Finegan '51, the only Explorer golfer in the La Salle Hall of Athletes.

"We're really excited to host the Finegan this year on a course to which Mr. Finegan himself was so strongly linked," head coach Brad Kane said. "We don't get many college events on classic courses with championship pedigrees.  I was there recently doing some scouting work and it's in great shape. Most important of all, the weather looks like it's going to be great."

Philadelphia Country Club was one of the first six members of the USGA, and the golf course hosted the US Open in 1939. It also hosted the 1899 U.S. Women's Championship, the 2003 U.S. Women's Amateur and co-hosted the 2005 Men's Amateur. The Spring Mill course was originally designed by architect William Flynn.

PCC is one of three courses in Philadelphia to host a US Open, joining Merion CC and Philadelphia Cricket Club. In the 1939 US Open, Byron Nelson won on the fourth playoff hole (now #17). Sam Sneed tripled #18 and missed the playoff. That hole is currently #3. 

In addition to an outstanding collegiate career for the Explorers, Mr. Finegan was a noted golf writer. He received the United States Golf Association's Herbert Warren Wind Book Award in 2006 and is consiered the American authority on golf courses in the United Kingdom and Ireland. He also received the Golf Association of Philadelphia's Distinguished Service Award in 2010. Mr. Finegan wrote the official histories of Pine Valley Golf Club and Aronimink Golf Club. He won club championships at Pine Valley and Philadelphia Country Club. He passed away in March, 2015.

La Salle will host Bucknell, Central Connecticut State, Drexel, Iona, Lafayette, Lehigh, Monmouth, Navy, Niagara, Rider, St. Francis Brooklyn, Villanova, and Alvernia. The teams will tee off at 9 AM on Monday in a shotgun start for the 36-hole event.

Live scoring as the players come off the ninth and 18th greens will be available at golfstat.com.

Tournament History
 

Year	Course			Team Champion	Score	Low Round	Medalist	Score	Low Round
2012	Talamore CC			Fordham	300-321=621 (+53)	300 (Fordham, 1st)	Brandon Shin, Hofstra	74-74=148 (+6)	70, Jason Del Rosso (Fordham)
2013	Talamore CC			Hofstra	296 (+12)	296 (Hofstra, 1st)	Brandon Shin, Hofstra	71 (E)	71, Brandon Shin (Hofstra)
2014	Huntingdon Valley CC			Cancelled due to weather
2015	Stonewall North			Lafayette	292-278=570 (+10)	278 (Lafayette, 2nd)	Art Griffin, Lafayette	68-68=136 (-4)	66, Kyle Sullivan (Wagner)