BUIES CREEK, N.C. - Campbell University has earned the No. 1 seed in the Big South men's golf championship, which begins Monday at The Patriot Golf Club at Grand Harbor in Ninety Six, S.C.  The Camels received the No. 1 seed based on their current GolfStat national ranking of 126, the highest among the nine Big South men's golf programs. 
 
Charleston Southern is ranked No. 163 in the nation by GolfStat and receives the No. 2 seed, just ahead of third-seeded High Point (178).  The Camels won the 2017, 2019 and 2021 Big South titles at The Patriot.
 
The 54-hole stroke play event begins with 36 holes Monday.  Stroke play concludes Tuesday with the top four teams advancing to Wednesday morning's match play semifinals.  The match play champion will receive the Big South's automatic berth in the NCAA regionals.
 
The Patriot Golf Club is hosting the Big South Men's Golf Championship for the 16th time. The course has hosted the event every year since 2008 in addition to 2005 and 2006.  The 2023 Championship will play to par-72, on the 7,054-yard layout.
 
Campbell will be paired with Charleston Southern and High Point for the first day, starting from the first tee at 8:50 a.m.  Live scoring is available at Golfstat.com.
 
Big South Championship
The Patriot GC at Grand Harbor / Ninety Six, S.C.
Par 72, 7054 Yards / Apr. 17-19, 2032
 
Live Scoring: Golfstat.com
 
Format: 54 holes (36-18). Double tee times Monday (8:00 a.m.), single tee times Tuesday (8:00 a.m.).  Match Play Wednesday - Semifinals (8:00 a.m.), Final (1:30 p.m.).
 
The Field (Golfstat ranking): 1. Campbell (126), 2. Charleston Southern (163), 3. High Point (178), 4. Radford (201), 5. Longwood (208), 6. Gardner-Webb (210), 7. Presbyterian (221), 8. Winthrop (225), 9. USC Upstate (253).
 
The Course: The Patriot Golf Club at Grand Harbor (Par 72, 7054 yards)
The Patriot at Grand Harbor is hosting the Big South Men's Championship for the 16th time, as the course has hosted the event every year since 2008 in addition to 2005 and 2006.  The Davis Love III-designed par-72 course will play to 7103 yards.  Love took advantage of a beautiful, rolling site at Grand Harbor to create an eminently playable "members" course. With select views of surrounding Lake Greenwood, the course is characterized by intricately designed greens, strategic rough-edged bunkers and a memorable earthen star fort that serves as a stirring starting and finishing point for every round. Named in honor of the area's revolutionary war heritage, The Patriot is a classically-styled course built without moving much dirt or "forcing" holes where they didn't naturally belong. The rolling topography and mixture of pines and mature hardwoods make it ideally suited for golf. His design utilizes an intelligent routing plan that promotes walking and good hole-to-hole flow.  One of the most memorable features of The Patriot is a large-scale recreation of an earthen star fort like those commonly used for protection during Colonial times. The fort was designed and constructed at the center of the course, with holes No.-1 and No.-10 playing away from atop the outer walls and the 18th hole returning to a green situated in the center. The fort creates separation in a tight space for three holes and a practice area, but more significantly, it reminds us of the era that shaped our country.
 
The Coach: Now in his 33rd year in charge of the Campbell men's golf program and 32nd as head coach of the CU women, John Crooks has been named league coach of the year 23 times in his tenure.  His teams have combined to earn 34 NCAA post-season trips, including 10 in a row for the women.  His teams have won 159 tournaments and with 98 career tournament titles, Crooks trails only Dan Brooks of Duke (140) on the all-time coaching victories list among Division I women's coaches.  He has guided his teams to 26 league titles, including 18 on the women's side and eight in men's competition.
 
The Lineup:
Graduate Henrik Lilja (Gothenburg, Sweden) ranks second among Big South golfers with a 72.42 scoring average and owns seven top-20 finishes this season.  He opened the year with a sixth-place finish at the Badger Invitational (68-70—138) and is coming off a T16 (76-69—145) effort in the Stitch Intercollegiate.  Lilja has played par, or better, golf in 15 of 28 rounds this season.  The 2022 Big South golfer of the year has compiled eight career top-10 individual finishes, including a T1 in the 2022 Big South Championship stroke play.
Career Big South Championship History
2021 Big South Championship 72-70-73—215 (T16) | 1-0 match play (one match unfinished)
2022 Big South Championship 71-66-70—207 (T1) | 0-1 match play
 
Senior Edwin Blomander (Eksjo, Sweden) enters the Big South Championship with a 72.3 stroke average and is coming off consecutive top-10 finishes.  He placed T8th at the Stitch Intercollegiate (72-70—145) and posted his best finish (T3) in three seasons at Campbell at the Seahawk Intercollegiate (70-69-68—207).  Owns five career top-10 in 19 events at Campbell.  Missed five tournaments due to injury from Sept. through Feb.
Career Big South Championship History
2021 Big South Championship 69-75-72—216 (T18) | 0-1 match play (one match unfinished)
2022 Big South Championship 72-67-76—215 (T10) | 0-1 match play
 
Freshman Tim Holmberg (Uppsala, Sweden) is coming off his best finish at Campbell, a T11 (74-69—143) at the Stitch Intercollegiate.  At the Seahawk Intercollegiate, he posted his best 54-hole score on the college level at one-under 215 (71-71-73) and tied for 28th place.  His stroke average stands at 74.3 and he has finished among the top 30 individuals (with two top-20s) in 4-straight events.
 
Sophomore Douglas Nordlof (Saltsjobaden, Sweden) is coming off his best finish at CU, a T16 at the Stitch Intercollegiate (74-71—145).  He has compiled a 74.7 scoring average over 17 rounds.  Nordlof's best showing of the fall season was a T18 in the Georgetown Intercollegiate at Liberty National (74-70-78—222).
 
Senior Alejandro Cogollo (Barcelona, Spain) posted his best collegiate finish – a runner-up showing at the Wolfpack Individual Invitational (74-69—143), where he matched his collegiate low in the final round on Feb. 26.  He owns a 74.8 scoring average over seven events this season.
Career Big South Championship History
2022 Big South Championship 73-73-77—222 (T21) | 0-0 match play (one match unfinished)
 
2023 Big South Championship
Sunday, April 16
12:30 pm Practice Round
 
Monday, April 17
First Round
8:00-8:40am - #4 Radford, #5 Longwood, #6 Gardner-Webb (No. 1 tee)
8:35-9:15am - #7 Presbyterian, #8 Winthrop, #9 USC Upstate (No. 10 tee)
8:50-9:30am - #1 Campbell, #2 Charleston Southern, #3 High Point (No. 1 tee)
Second Round
1:30-2:10pm - #4 Radford, #5 Longwood, #6 Gardner-Webb (No. 10 tee)
2:05-2:45pm - #7 Presbyterian, #8 Winthrop, #9 USC Upstate (No. 1 tee)
2:20-3:00pm - #1 Campbell, #2 Charleston Southern, #3 High Point (No. 10 tee)
 
Tuesday, April 18
Final Round (based on 36-hole scores)
8:00-8:40am - 1st, 2nd, 3rd-place teams (No. 1 tee)
8:50-9:30am - 4th, 5th, 6th-place teams (No. 1 tee)
9:40-10:20am - 7th, 8th, 9th-place teams (No. 1 tee)
 
Wednesday, April 19
8:00am Match Play – Semifinals
No. 1 vs. No. 4 (No. 1 tee) / No. 2 vs. No. 3 (No. 10 tee)
1:30pm Match Play – Finals
1/4 Winner vs. 2/3 Winner