St. John's University Athletics
Season Opens With Tough Start For Red Storm
9/14/2013 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Sept. 14, 2013
BETHPAGE, N.Y. (Sept. 14, 2013) - The St. John's men's golf team kicked off the 2013-14 season on Saturday at Bethpage State Park Golf Course for the annual Doc Gimmler, formerly known as The McLaughlin.
With a two-round team score of 578 (+18), St. John's currently sits in 12th place overall heading into the final round on Sunday morning while Yale holds the lead at 14-under.
The Red Storm were led by Dylan Crowley, who carded a 69 in the second round to tie for 10th behind a 139 (-1) after a double-bogey on the final hole.
The opening day also marked the start of a St. John's career for the other four members of the playing squad as transfers Obe Ayton, Ben Ludlam, and John Russo as well as freshman Sean Byrne took to the course for their first time as a member of the Red Storm.
Ayton proved well in his debut as he is currently tied for 32nd with a 143 (+3) while Ludlam sits in a tie for 48th after a 146 (+6). Byrne stepped up in his second round for the Red Storm, carding a 72 to bring him to a tie for 65th with a 150 (+10) while Russo wrapped up the day with a 155 (+15) for 73rd.
Mitch Hadfield carded a 146 (+6) as an individual on Saturday, a mark enough to land him a tie for 48th overall.
St. John's will tee off tomorrow starting at 8:18 a.m. on the first tee with Army and Florida Southern.
About Doc Gimmler
This year, St. John's has renamed the event from The McLaughlin to The Doc Gimmler to honor former Red Storm golf coach Jack "Doc" Gimmler. Gimmler came to St. John's in 1945 and helped lead the baseball team to the school's first College World Series in 1949.
After graduating, Gimmler went on to become the head athletic trainer for St. John's before taking over as the head golf coach and associate director of athletics.
As the coach of the Red Storm, Gimmler led his team to the inaugural BIG EAST league title in 1979, won nine titles over the first 11 years of the league, and finished either first or second in the BIG EAST in all but one season between 1979 and 1990. The long time coach also led St. John's to 10 Metropolitan championships and five NCAA Tournament appearances in his tenure.
Gimmler passed away in 1996 but will forever be remembered for his impact on collegiate golf, collegiate athletics, and St. John's over his more than four decades of service.
About Bethpage State Park Golf Course
The Doc Gimmler will take place on the Red Course at Bethpage State Park Golf Course, a 7,014 yard, par-70 course that opened in 1933 in Farmingdale, N.Y.
Bethpage (Black Course) has also been home to the 2002 & 2009 U.S. Open as well as the 2012 Barclay's.
For all the latest news on the St. John's men's golf team, log on to RedStormSports.com and follow the team (@StJohnsMGolf) on Twitter. You can join the conversation with the hashtag, #SJUMG. If you would like to be added to the St. John's Men's Golf mailing list, send an email to stjcommunications@stjohns.edu with the subject line "Men's Golf Mailing List."
Players Mentioned
