Golf Returns to New York for the Doc Gimmler – Villanova University

VILLANOVA, Pa. – Golf heads back up to the Empire State this Monday and Tuesday to take part in The Doc Gimmler Red & Black hosted by St. John’s University at Bethpage State Park Golf Course in Farmingdale, N.Y.

“After Colgate we feel great, yet unsatisfied,” stated junior Ryan Pamer. “Being a very young team this year, we are all excited to see what this new group of guys can accomplish early in the season. It is always a privilege to play a course with as much history as Bethpage Black… We are very excited for the challenge it will bring, but we know we are prepared both physically and mentally for it.”

THE EVENT:

The Doc Gimmler, named after the late, legendary St. John’s golf coach, has taken place annually since 2013. This will be the Wildcats sixth time participating in this event. The highest finish they have had as a team was when they finished in fifth place in 2016 at one over par.

Villanova and the host St. John’s help make up a field of twelve teams that also includes Columbia, UConn, Harvard, Hofstra, Iona, Lafayette, Lehigh, Long Island, North Dakota State, and Towson.

The first two rounds will be played on the Red Course at the public Bethpage State Park Golf Course. Bethpage Red, which opened in 1935, was designed by A.W. Tillinghast. The course has recently hosted the 2023 Northeast Junior Classic and the 2024 LPGA Amateur Golf Association Open. It is a par 70 course that measures 7,092 yards. The Wildcats had their fifth place finish in the 2016 Doc Gimmler Red & Black playing on Bethpage Red.

The Black Course, designed by Joseph H. Burbeck with assistance from Tillinghast, will host the final round of The Doc Gimmler. It opened one year later than the Red Course in 1936. Bethpage Black was ranked the seventh greatest public course and the sixth toughest course in the United States by Golf Digest in 2023. The course par is 71 and is 7,468 yards long. It is a two-time host to the U.S. Open (2002 and 2009) and held the 2019 PGA Championship. The course will also host the Ryder Cup in September 2025. This tournament is the first time that St. John’s will be playing on the Black Course since 1996.

The tournament consists of 54 holes over three rounds. Teams will consist of five golfers each plus individuals. The first two rounds totaling 36 holes will take place on Monday and the final round of 18 on Tuesday.

Monday’s rounds will start at 8:00 a.m., and the final round Tuesday will start at 9:00 a.m. Live stats can be found here. 

THE LINEUP:

Nos. 1-5: Ryan Pamer, Vibhav Alokam, Nathan Marion, Cameron Besaw, Jackson Lehner Individual: Ian Love

Ryan Pamer is coming off an individual championship in the team’s last tournament at the Alex Lagowitz Memorial Invitational and was honored on Wednesday with the BIG EAST Male Golfer of the Week nod. He shot six under (138) through 36 holes, including a round at five under par (67). At Colgate, Pamer was able to continue his stretch of finishing within the top 10 at all five events in which he has participated in New York.

Alokam has been inserted into spot two as he is coming off a strong finish in his first ever collegiate event where he tied for 19^th at two over (146) and shot one under par (71) on day two.

Marion will be making his second appearance of the year in as many tournaments after finishing at four over (148), helped by shooting one over (73) in the final round.

In the fourth spot is Cameron Besaw, who shot eight over (152) his last time out at the Alex Lagowitz Memorial. In the final round, he finished two over par (74).

Lehner will be taking part in his first event of the season. He finished last season with a 74.69 stroke average. He had Villanova’s second lowest round in the last tournament he played in at the BIG EAST Championship, shooting a 71 on day one.

Ian Love will be playing in his first collegiate event as an individual. He totaled a scoring average of 72.9 in his senior season of high school.

UP NEXT: After this event, Villanova will travel up to Hampden, Mass., to play in the UConn Invitational at GreatHorse Golf Course from Sept. 29 through Oct. 1.