William & Mary men’s golf was selected on May 7 to compete in the Golfweek National Golf Invitational, marking its first national postseason appearance since 2002. The team will participate in the event from May 21-24 at Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club in Maricopa, Arizona.
The selection is significant for the program, as it highlights a return to national competition after more than two decades. Director of Golf Tim Pemberton said, “We are honored to receive this invitation. This team has had a tremendous year, and we are excited to represent W&M on the national stage. We have a relatively young squad, and this postseason experience will be invaluable as we continue to develop in the years ahead.”
The Golfweek National Golf Invitational (NGI), often referred to as the NIT of collegiate golf, is now in its fourth year. The tournament invites teams based on ranking and also includes teams under .500 that do not qualify for NCAA regionals. This year’s event features an exemption for its individual winner into the Butterfield Bermuda Championship PGA Tour event scheduled for October.
William & Mary enters the NGI following a strong performance at the CAA Championships held April 26-28, where they finished sixth with their second-best score ever at that tournament and set a program record with a single-round score of 5-under 283. Freshman Talon Dingledine led with a runner-up finish and posted both a personal best and program record for freshmen.
This season saw William & Mary win two tournaments—the Golden Horseshoe Intercollegiate in March and ODU/OBX Intercollegiate during fall—marking only the sixth time in school history they have won multiple events in one season. The team’s season stroke average of 290.62 is nearly two shots better than their previous school record.
Individually, three players—Dingledine, junior Preston Burton, and freshman Eli Felty—rank among William & Mary’s top ten single-season stroke averages.
