EAST LANSING— Michigan State men’s golf is headed to Napa Valley for the Bridgestone Collegiate Invitational, set for March 24–25 at the Silverado Country Club & Resort. This Division 1 event, hosted by Central Michigan every year, will be a two-day tournament spanning 54 holes on one of the finest courses in California.
Silverado offers two PGA Tour standard courses, “North” and “South.” The field takes on the south course this week—a shorter par 72 at 6,685 yards. The course features numerous short par 4s, many of them sub-400 yards. Despite lacking distance, this course makes up for it by strategically placing bunkers and water hazards throughout the course in very inconvenient locations.
The par-3s are no walk in the park, either. The four offered on the south course range from 185 to 211 yards and require accurate distance irons or hybrids from the players. The greens will be tucked and well-protected, so hitting them in regulation will be critical in this event.
Hole Watch: No. 7 – Par 3
Hole No.7 is a 211-yard par 3 that will surely trouble the field this year. Despite a lack of water hazards, any ball that fails to find the green could mean a big number.
The resort offers advice on its website saying that players can get away with a miss that is just short of the green, but anywhere else is trouble. It also advises that those who are lucky enough to hit the green in regulation will have a great look for birdie, a rare occurrence for this particular hole.
Hole Watch: No. 18 – Par 5
Silverado’s signature hole is quite the finish to the course. This 500-yard par 5 is an extreme dogleg left that leaves the players with a choice. Most fields have the talent to get the ball to the green from the tee box, a test of strength and accuracy.
The reward for taking the risk is the resort’s biggest green and a great chance at eagle. It should not be surprising if more teams go for the green and want to make up some strokes on day two.
The Spartans come into this event after a disappointing seventh-place finish at the Johnnie-O at Sea Island last week. Junior Caleb Bond led the Spartans with a score of –2, followed by sophomores Lucas Acevedo and Lorenzo Pinili with scores of +1. While the Spartans lacked a stand-out performance, the impressive depth and consistency of the MSU roster helped push the team up the leaderboard for a top-ten finish.
MSU’s lineup this week includes Bond, Acevedo, Pinili, Drew Miller and Julian Menser.
This week’s field is highly competitive, with the reigning champ, No. 27 BYU, looking to go back-to-back. Other ranked teams include No. 57 Santa Clara, No. 83 North Alabama and No. 87 San Jose State.
MSU finished third in this event last year with a score of +11—a testament to how tricky this short course can be. A podium finish for the Spartans this year would end a great month of golf for them in a justified way and surely push them to be a top 50 squad in the nation.
Silverado’s digital features make it easier than ever for fans to follow along. The official website offers a scorecard with yardage and slope ratings, a virtual walkthrough of every hole, and even a live-footage camera of the north and south courses.
Fans can visit the SCOREBOARD website for any updates on tee times, team leaderboards, individual standings and course statistics.
