FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Purdue Fort Wayne men’s and women’s golf teams will both be competing in the Benbow Invitational on Monday and Tuesday (March 7-8).
Event: Benbow Invitational
Host: Butler
When: March 7-8
Where: Jacksonville Beach Golf Club | Jacksonville, Florida
Par: 71
Men’s Yardage: 6,750 yards
Women’s Yardage: 6,021 yards
Format: Play five, take four
Live Results: Men | Women
Competing Teams
Men: Butler, Eastern Illinois, Evansville, Purdue Fort Wayne, Savannah State, Western Illinois
Women: Butler, Eastern Illinois, Eastern Michigan, Evansville, Indiana State, IUPUI, Monmouth, Purdue Fort Wayne, Radford, Savannah State, Troy, Valparaiso, Western Illinois, Western Michigan
Jacksonville Beach Golf Club
Owned and operated by the City of Jacksonville Beach, Jax Beach Golf Club has been a staple in the golf world of beach life. There are 50+ years of history in these greens and fairways, starting out as a private 9-hole course and evolving into 18-holes when the City of Jacksonville Beach acquired the facility. Over the years, Jax Beach Golf Club has had many transformations, but none as extensive as the latest renovation that began in January 2018.
Mastodon Lineup
Men: Kasey Lilly, Tyler Green, Brett Seward, Hunter Mefford, Reece Compton, Luke Miller and Burke Pitz will travel for the Mastodons. Five will play for the team score and two will compete as individuals.
Women: Anna Olafsdottir, Laura Caetano, Kennedy Brooker, Luiza Caetano, Arny Dagsdottir and Casey Bunner will travel for the ‘Dons. Five will play for the team score and one will compete as an individual.
We Don’t Talk About Kasey … JK We Do
Kasey Lilly holds all of the primary records in Purdue Fort Wayne men’s golf history. He also has seven top-10’s, four top-5’s, and won one tournament: the Tom Tontimonia Invitational.
Career Scoring Average: 72.84 (2019-22)
Career Winning Percentage: .772(2019-22)
Season Scoring Average: 71.8 (2021-22)
Season Winning Percentage: .858 (2021-22)
18-Hole Record: 64 – Joe Feaganes Marshall Invitational (9/14/21)
36-Hole Record: 135 – Earl Yestingmeier Invitational (9/17/21)
54-Hole Record: 204 – Earl Yestingmeier Invitational (9/18/21)
I Wanna Be The Very Best
The Purdue Fort Wayne men’s golf team has the best four-player average in program history this season by a significant margin. The Mastodons are averaging 293.5 shots per round, topping the previous best from 2011-12 by nearly five shots per round.
The Two Best
Kasey Lilly (71.7) and Tyler Green (73.1) own two of the three best season averages in program history in the 2021-22 season. The second-place spot is also held by Lilly from last season.
Cool Runnings-Up
Tyler Green finished as the runner-up at the Orlando Invitational on March 1. He had his career-best finish thanks to a 70-72-73-215 score.
One in a Brazilian
Laura Caetano a native of Brasilia, Brazil, has the second-best career average in Mastodon history. She has an average of 78.14, which only trails Holly Anderson’s 77.39. Anderson played for the Mastodons from 2018-21. Caetano’s season-best of 74 came in the last tournament of the fall season at the Dayton Flyer Invitational.
Icy Cold
Anna Olafsdottir qualified for the career scoring average minimum in the last tournament of the fall, and ranks just behind Caetano in the program’s history. The sophomore from Iceland is averaging 79.62 strokes per round.
On a Roll! The Honor Roll!
Five Mastodon women’s golfers were selected to the Horizon League Academic Honor Roll: Kennedy Brooker, Laura Caetano, Luiza Caetano, Arny Dagsdottir and Anna Olafsdottir. Members of the honor roll must complete at least three semesters at the member institution with a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.20.
On a Roll! The Honor Roll! Again!
Seven Mastodon men’s golfers were also named to the Horizon League Academic Honor Roll: Reece Compton, Jacob Deakyne, Kasey Lilly, Hunter Mefford, Luke Miller, Jadden Ousley and Burke Pitz.
Last Time Out
Men: Tyler Green took runner-up at the Orlando Invitational, leading the Mastodons to a third-place finish.
Women: The Mastodons went 1-2 at the Motor City Cup in a match-play format, topping Northern Kentucky 4-2.
Next Time Up
Both teams will head to Daytona Beach, Florida to play in the Sacred Heart Invitational on March 11-12.
~ Feel the Rumble ~