PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The Rutgers men's golf program hosted one of the best events of the year on Friday in the Hackberry Invitational.
The Scarlet Knights golf squad welcomed 90 guests including 28 alumni, donors, and members of the Rutgers golf family in the 18-hole event. The group of Rutgers alumni were the largest-ever to attend the event and ranged from the RU graduating classes of 50 years (1971-2021).
"It was spectacular day to have a record-number of 28 alumni come back to campus," head coach
Rob Shutte said. "It shows the continued support of our program at large. Everyone had a great time sharing stories and laughs. It was a great day for the Rutgers men's golf program as well as our extended family."
Gallery: (9-23-2022) Men's Golf Hosts Hackberry Invitational
The alumni who attended the event held at the Rutgers University Golf Course are listed below:
Bruce Young (1971), Steve Havran (1975), Walt Wolak (1978), William Pollie Jr. (1978), Bill King (1979), Mark Walker (1979), Bill Boyle (1980), Bill Baird (1983), Jim Guerra (1985), Barry Wiseman (1986), William Crowley (1986), Ryan MacDonald (2001), Kevin Campana (2001), Brian Matthews (2002), Tim Cadigan (2002), Eric Schecterman (2003), Mike Michel (2003), Brian Whitman (2004), Jason Bataille (2006), Michael Kosup (2006), Jacob Stockl (2015), Ryan Rose (2017), Jack Panagos (2018), Toks Pedro (2018), Matt Holuta (2018), Matt Mourin (2019),
Oliver Whatley (2021)
The entire 2022 Scarlet Knights roster was in attendance and participated in the event.
Some other notable participants included former women's basketball coach and 2022 member of the Basketball Hall of Fame Class Theresa Grentz, RU Athletic Director Pat Hobbs, member of the 1975-76 Rutgers basketball team and former CEO of Xerox Mike MacDonald and many more.
Grentz spoke to the guests in attendance before the group teed off just a month after receiving her illustrious honor.
Play was contested under USGA rules and featured live scoring, as both gross and net scores were kept.
A portion of the event's proceeds will go towards helping the Scarlet Knights continue their initiative of introducing golf to kids throughout the New Brunswick and Somerset communities. This includes purchasing SNAG® equipment for local grammar schools, allowing students of all ages to learn the fundamentals of the game.
The Hackberry, now in its fifth year, is not only named after the most challenging and No. 1 handicapped ninth hole at the golf course, but embodies the qualities of the program, as the Hackberry tree is known for its' perseverance and ability to survive the harshest of conditions.
The Rutgers men's golf team will continue their 2022-23 fall season as they travel to the Old Town Club Collegiate at Wake Forest University in Winston Salem, NC. The event starts with round one on Monday the 26.
