After a tough tournament in Knoxville, Tennessee, the UConn men’s golf team is set to host its annual event Oct. 1-3, the UConn Invitational at GreatHorse in Hampden, Massachusettes.
Xavier, St. John’s, Holy Cross, Iona, Boston College and Lafayette are among some of the teams that will be at GreatHorse.
UConn will be the host school, joining other teams across the country taking on the 7,093 yard, par 72 course. The tournament is a three-round, 54-hole event, with New England fall weather as the backdrop.
In last year’s UConn Invitational, Trevor Lopez tied for 8th place, shooting +6 (73, 73, 76). Tommy Dallahan, who competed as an individual, tied for 15th place and shot +8 (73, 80, 71). Connor Goode tied for 27th place and shot +12 (74, 78, 76). As a team, the Huskies finished in fourth place out of 14 teams.
Greathorse is a private course with majestic mountainous views off the Connecticut river valley and lush fairways, it’s a stellar place to enjoy the fall weather. GreatHorse was voted in 2022 and 2023 by ReaderRaves.com as one of the best golf courses and by Golf Range magazine in the Top 50 for private ranges.
Veteran New-England based architect Brian Silva designed GreatHorse back in 2015-16. The Antonnaci family bought out what was formerly known as the Hampden Country Club and spent $55 million for a complete redesign by Brian Silva. Only 11 miles east of Springfield, the 232 acre course that Silva designed is definitely magnificent.
Temperatures for the golfers will be bright sunny skies, mid to high 70 degrees. New England weather in the fall is always unpredictable, so golfers playing in this tournament should expect colder temperatures if their round starts at 10 a.m.
The Huskies opened their fall 2023 season in Knoxville, Tennessee facing strong competition from schools down south and across the country. The Huskies finished in last place, but senior Tommy Dallahan, junior Trevor Lopez and junior Ray Dennehy showed promising signs with birdies in their late round scores.
Dallahan in Knoxville shot a 77, 68 and 74. Lopez shot 75, 73 and 74. Dennehy shot 75, 73 and 74. Goode shot 72, 77 and 78.
On GreatHorse, hole eight could make or break a player’s round. Hole eight has a slight left to right landscape design making it difficult for all golfers deciding which club to use. The hole is 625 yards and ranked #1 handicap, the hardest hole throughout the entire course.
With players like Dallahan, Dennehy and Lopez a driver or 3-wood should be more than enough to get them about 28 yards out from the green. With multiple bunkers surrounding all sides of the green, the wedge game is going to be crucial for every team out there on the playing field. The greens will most likely play a lot slower after the expected showers on Friday and Saturday.
The Huskies are set to play this Sunday, Oct. 1-3, and have the opportunity to place high in an invitational tournament on their home course.
