Alonzo Leads Navy Men’s Golf Through Opening Day at The Goat

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Navy men’s golf put itself within striking distance of the leaders after the first two rounds of The Goat, with sophomore Sebastian Alonzo delivering the Midshipmen’s best performance Saturday at the Naval Academy Golf Club.

Navy’s “A” team finished the opening 36 holes tied for seventh with Patriot League opponent Colgate at 17-over-par 585. The Midshipmen opened with a 293 before improving by one stroke with a 292 in the second round. Navy’s “B” team finished the day in 14th at 34-over 602 after rounds of 306 and 296.

The Goat is Navy’s home fall tournament and features three rounds and 54 holes at the par-71, 6,970-yard Naval Academy Golf Club. The format has each five-player team counting its four lowest scores in each round. Navy hosted the event for the third consecutive year after finishing second in the tournament in 2025.

Alonzo puts himself in contention

Alonzo emerged as the story of the opening day for Navy. The Azusa, California, native played both rounds at even par, posting consecutive 71s to finish the day at even-par 142.

That performance placed Alonzo in a seven-player tie for fourth and only two shots behind the individual leader entering Sunday’s final round. He finished particularly well, making birdies on three of his final six holes to remain firmly in contention for individual medalist honors.

UConn’s Kai Jun Huang held the individual lead after 36 holes at 2-under par. Huang opened the tournament with an impressive 5-under 66 before shooting 74 in the second round. Georgetown’s Carson Erick and George Washington’s Patricio Gonzalez were each one shot behind Huang at 1-under.

Alonzo’s performance gave Navy a legitimate opportunity to challenge for an individual title on its home course. It also represented another encouraging development for a Navy lineup featuring several young golfers gaining valuable collegiate experience early in the fall season.

Luckett provides another steady performance

Sophomore Tim Luckett also played an important role in keeping Navy within range of the leaders. Luckett, competing in only his second collegiate tournament, shot rounds of 74 and 73 to finish at 5-over 147.

That placed the Annapolis native 26th individually and just two strokes outside the top 20. Luckett was one of three Midshipmen behind Alonzo who provided relatively consistent scoring throughout Saturday’s 36 holes.

Senior Danny Auffant and freshman Collin Alstrin produced identical scorecards for the day. Both shot 74 in each round to finish at 6-over 148 and tied for 33rd.

Freshman Payton Cowhey completed Navy’s “A” lineup at 15-over 157. Cowhey had already gained experience earlier in September when he tied Auffant for Navy’s best 54-hole score at the Folds of Honor Collegiate. Navy finished 14th in that season-opening tournament but closed with its best team round of the event, a 9-over 293.

Durthaler goes under par for Navy’s B team

Navy also fielded a full “B” team, providing additional competitive opportunities throughout the roster.

Sophomore Josh Durthaler produced one of Navy’s best individual rounds of the day. Durthaler opened with a 2-under 69 that included five birdies, briefly putting himself near the top of the individual leaderboard.

Durthaler could not quite maintain that pace during the afternoon round, shooting a 76. Still, his 3-over 145 total left him tied for 19th entering the final round.

Sophomore Hudson Mitchell followed at 7-over 149 and stood 42nd. Freshman Elijah Estonillo shot 11-over 153, while senior Luke Lombardo finished at 13-over 155. Freshman Logan Francis completed the B-team lineup at 18-over 160.

Navy also entered Daniel Ho, Ed Scott, James Devore and Mason Keisch as individuals. Ho shot 13-over 155, Scott finished at 15-over 157, Devore recorded a 16-over 158 and Keisch ended Saturday at 31-over 173.

The depth of Navy’s participation was notable. Four Midshipmen — Ho, Keisch, Estonillo and Francis — entered the weekend scheduled to make their collegiate debuts, giving the coaching staff an opportunity to evaluate a large portion of the roster under tournament conditions.

Navy remains within striking distance

William & Mary took the team lead into Sunday after shooting a 3-under 281 during the second round. The Tribe finished Saturday at 2-over 570, one stroke ahead of George Washington at 3-over 571.

Georgetown occupied third at 11-over 579. Holy Cross and Saint Joseph’s were tied for fourth at 15-over 583, while UConn sat sixth at 16-over 584.

That left Navy and Colgate only one stroke behind UConn at 17-over 585. Despite sitting seventh, Navy remained only two strokes outside the top four and 15 strokes behind William & Mary.

With four scores counting toward each team round, the leaderboard remained tight enough for significant movement during Sunday’s final 18 holes.

Navy had already demonstrated an ability to finish tournaments strongly. At the Folds of Honor Collegiate earlier in September, the Midshipmen posted their best team score in the final round. Another strong closing round at the Naval Academy Golf Club would give Navy an opportunity to climb several positions on its home course.

Alonzo eventually earns top-10 finish

Because the final round has since been completed, Alonzo’s strong Saturday ultimately turned into the first top-10 finish of his Navy career.

Alonzo shot a 2-over 73 Sunday to finish the tournament at 2-over 215 and tied for ninth. He recorded six birdies during the weekend and established career lows for both his three-round score and score relative to par.

Navy also maintained its seventh-place position, finishing at 26-over 878 following rounds of 293, 292 and 293. The Midshipmen finished only four shots outside the top five and two behind sixth-place UConn.

George Washington eventually overtook William & Mary to win the team championship at 4-over 856, three strokes ahead of Georgetown. Saint Joseph’s and William & Mary tied for third, while Holy Cross completed the top five.

UConn’s Huang ultimately won individual medalist honors following a three-player playoff with Georgetown’s Carson Erick and William & Mary’s Preston Burton. All three completed regulation at 2-under 211 before Huang won with a birdie on the third playoff hole.

What’s next for Navy

Navy now turns its attention toward one of the most important events on its fall schedule.

The Midshipmen travel to West Point for the annual Army-Navy Star Match on Oct. 3-4 at the West Point Golf Course. Navy won the previous Star Match 6-5 after capturing four of the first five singles matches.

The Goat gave Navy another important opportunity to develop its younger golfers before that rivalry matchup. Alonzo’s first career top-10 finish was particularly encouraging, while Luckett, Alstrin, Durthaler and several other underclassmen gained meaningful tournament experience.

MSB Take

Navy entered Saturday looking for progress after opening its season against a difficult field at the Folds of Honor Collegiate, and the Midshipmen received exactly that on their home course. The biggest development was Alonzo, who put together two composed even-par rounds Saturday and ultimately turned the performance into the first top-10 finish of his collegiate career.

There was also plenty to like beyond Navy’s top scorer. Luckett continued gaining experience, Alstrin contributed two steady counting rounds and Durthaler showed his potential with a 2-under 69. Navy still has room to improve its consistency from the top to the bottom of the lineup, but The Goat provided encouraging signs ahead of the Army-Navy Star Match.

The next test carries considerably more significance. Navy heads to West Point with the Star on the line, and the depth developed during tournaments such as The Goat could become particularly valuable when the Midshipmen meet the Black Knights.