St. John's University Athletics
Red Storm Hosts Mission Inn Classic
10/20/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Oct. 20, 2011
QUEENS, N.Y. (Oct. 20, 2011)- The St. John's men's golf team will host the 2011 Mission Inn Classic Friday, Oct. 21-Sunday, Oct. 23 at Mission Inn Resort (Howey-In-The-Hills, Fla.). The annual tournament is the fourth of the fall season for the Red Storm.
"This is fun event because we've been playing in the northeast all fall, and now we get to head south and change up the style of course," junior Pat Wilson said.
The event will be played at the El Campeon course at Mission Inn, a par-72, 6,923-yard challenge that is different than many of the courses the Red Storm play on in the fall. Only senior Mark Costanza and junior Jeremy Quinn have played El Campeon in the past.
"Last year, the greens weren't great here, they were patchy and in pretty bad shape," Costanza said. "The job they've done on the greens is great. They're still a little hard to putt on, but they're so much better now."
At the 2010 Mission Inn Classic-the first time playing in the event for Wilson and now sophomore Ryan McCormick-the tournament was held at the other Mission Inn course, Las Colinas due to renovations taking place on El Campeon.
For freshman Dylan Crowley, this will be his first collegiate tournament outside of the northeast. However, Crowley lived in Florida for 12 years, so the area is not uncharted territory.
"This is a little bit of a homecoming for me," Crowley said. "I don't really feel nervous or anything about it being my first tournament in the south, it's just a matter of getting used to the courses, which are really flat down here."
This year's field includes Bethune-Cookman, Embry-Riddle, Florida Gulf Coast, Florida A&M, Johnson & Wales, Loyola (MD), Northwood, Savannah State, Stetson and St. John's.
The Mission Inn will also be the first three-day tournament of the year for the Red Storm, with 18 holes on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The field will tee off from the first hole starting at 7:45, with St. John's playing in pairs with Florida Gulf Coast.
"It's a really long course, so you have to drive it well," Wilson said. "If you don't, you'll find yourself in a lot of trouble and can shoot some high scores if you aren't careful. It's long and tight out there, so the tee shot is really crucial."
In 2010, the Red Storm finish in third place, with now-alumnus Evan Bierne taking home the individual title, while McCormick tied for 10th.
For all the latest news on the Rest Storm as it competes in the 2011 Mission Inn Classic, log on to RedStormSports.com and follow the team (@STJ_MensGolf) on Twitter. You can join in the conversation with the hashtags #stjmg and #missioninn.
Players Mentioned
