Season Preview: 2023-24 Men’s Golf

Milligan, Tenn. (August 24, 2023) – The Milligan University men's golf team graduated five players from last year's roster and welcomes five newcomers for the 2023-24 season.

Visual Preview

The Buffs start their fall slate at the Music City Fall Invitational on Sept.11-12.

2022-23 Season Review: The Buffs logged a top-50 Golfstat ranking for the second-straight season as the Buffs checked in at No. 46 in the final NAIA men's golf rankings. Milligan was the fourth-highest ranked team in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) in 2022-23 according to Golfstat.

The Buffs' season was highlighted by single-round (-11, 277) and 36-hole (-16, 560) tournament records at the Northeast Tennessee Spring Shootout. The Buffs notched a tournament victory at the East Tennessee Collegiate in the fall and added two other top-three team finishes.

Milligan finished fifth at the NAIA Direct Qualifier/AAC Spring Championship. Jonathan Liggett earned All-AAC Second Team honors in his final season as a Buff.

"Last year's team put some outstanding rounds and tournament performances together," said head coach Tony Wallingford. "However, overall team consistency was the component that held us back."

Key Returners: The Buffs return three members of their lineup for the 2023-24 campaign.

"We have a very solid nucleus returning from last year's team highlighted by three-year starter Ty Beasley, and junior Gustaf Lundberg," said Wallingford. "We also have some returning players who have worked very hard in the off season and are looking forward to competing for starting positions."

Senior Ty Beasley is the Buffs' returning leader in average score at 76.25 strokes last year. He finished as the runner-up at the Northeast Tennessee Spring Shootout with a nine-under 135 (67-68), the second-lowest 36-hole tournament score in program history. Beasley shot the low round (-3, 69) at the NAIA Direct Qualifier on his way to a top-15 finish.

"Ty has been outstanding since the day he stepped on campus as a freshman," said Wallingford. "He has qualified for every tournament during the past three years and has multiple all-tournament performances. We will count on him heavily this year to anchor our lineup."

Junior Gustaf Lundberg appeared in all 26 rounds and was a two-time AAC Men's Golfer of the Week in his debut season with the Buffs. He fired a minus-three 140 to finish as the runner-up at the East Tennessee Collegiate. Lundberg notched four rounds of even-par golf or better in 2022-23.

Senior Jakob Modig was included in Milligan's team scoring in seven rounds last season.

Senior Reece Anderson, junior Seth Bible and sophomore Garrison Barton each appeared in four rounds for the Buffs in 2023-24.

Newcomers: Freshmen Francisco de Bethencourt Duque, Parker Durkin, Alex Gouge, Hugo Lundberg and Eli Rowell join Milligan for 2023-24.

"We will be counting on some of our freshman to contribute right away," said Wallingford. "There is a lot of potential in this group, and I look forward to working with them and watching their progress."

Looking at the Schedule: Milligan's fall schedule features five events, four of which are in the state of Tennessee, in September and October.

The Buffs host the East Tennessee Collegiate at the Johnson City Country Club on Sept. 25-26. Milligan travels to the AAC Fall Preview at the Windermere Club in Blythewood, S.C. on Oct. 16-17.

Other events include the season opener, the Music City Fall Invitational, on Sept. 11-12. The Bob Dibble Intercollegiate is the fall season midpoint on Oct. 2-3 and the 2023 slate ends with the Bojangles Fall Classic on Oct. 20-21.

"We always play a great schedule with highly competitive teams on great golf courses, and our fall schedule is no exception," said Wallingford. "Each of our tournaments will provide top competition with multiple nationally ranked teams."

Last Word: "I am confident that this team will improve as the season progresses as we get more and more tournament experience," said Wallingford. "I am looking forward to seeing our lineup evolve throughout this fall season as some of our new players and returning players seek that opportunity to compete in our top five."