Flames Conclude Spring Break at General Hackler Championship

The Flames will have a few extra days added on to their Spring Break trip as they participate in the 2025 General Hackler Championship, Sunday through Tuesday.

The three-day, 54-hole event has been hosted each year by Coastal Carolina since 2002. The event will be contested at The Dunes Golf and Beach Club (par 72, 7,233 yards) in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

The Flames are familiar with this event with the tournament having been on Liberty's schedule for the last seven seasons.

The 16-team field features six top-50 ranked teams, including Auburn (No. 1), Duke (No. 19), Louisville (No. 39), Charleston (No. 45), Wake Forest (No. 40) and NC State (No. 44).

No. 1 Auburn has won three of its last four events, including a 10-stroke victory at UNLV's Southern Highlands Collegiate, March 2-4, where the Tigers were the only team in the field to post an under-par team score.

Play gets underway on Sunday morning, starting at 8 a.m. The Flames will be paired with golfers from Nevada and High Point and will be sent off the No. 10 tee, starting at 8:05 a.m.

Now on The Tee – Liberty's Starting Five (2024-25 Stroke Average)

Ike Joy (70.25)
Josh Ryan (72.42)
Andrew Gregory (72:38)
Michael Lugiano (72.93)
Pascal Gunther (73.42)
Individual: Luke Libbey (74.82)

Tournament Reflections – Previous Showing at the General Hackler Championship:

The General Hackler Championship has appeared on Liberty's schedule each of the last seven seasons.
Liberty's best showing at the Championship was a runner-up finish in 2020 where the Flames carded an 8-under par 856 (288-283-285).
The 2020 event was the last tournament Liberty participated in prior to the COVID-19 pandemic canceling the remainder of the season (March 9-10, 2020).
Liberty was scheduled to play in the 2021 event, but they were unable to participate.
The Flames finished the 2024 Championship in 11^th place after carding a 13-over par 877 (290-294-293).
Liberty's top golfer in the 2024 event was Josh Ryan, who finished tied for 12^th place with an even par 216 (73-72-71), while Ike Joy finished tied for 20^th place with a 3-over par 219 (72-73-74).
Ryan has posted a top-15 finish in the last two General Hackler Championships.
In 2023, Ryan finished tied for 10^th place with a 5-under par 211 (71-66-74).
Ryan has played three of his six career rounds at the Coastal Carolina hosted event at par or better with a 71.17 scoring average.

From the 18^th Green – Recapping Liberty's Last Time Out:

The Flames are coming off a 14^th-place finish at The Hayt (March 8-10).
Liberty carded a 24-over par 888 (291-289-308) at the Sawgrass Country Club (par 72, 6,966 yards) in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
The 15-team field battled 20 MPH sustained winds throughout final round, dramatically increasing the team and individual scores during the final round.
After the Sawgrass Country Club played at a scoring average of 71.75 during the second round, the 84-man field succumb to a final round scoring average of 75.55.
Ike Joy finished the event, which featured 10 top-50 ranked programs, with his third top-10 posting of the 2024-25 season.
Joy finished tied for sixth place with a 4-under par 212 (72-69-71).

Birdies and Bogeys – Liberty Team Notes:

The Flames enter this weekend's tournament ranked No. 109 in the latest national rankings (Scoreboard Powered by Clippd rankings as of March 12).
Liberty currently ranks fifth in Conference USA in the latest national rankings: Kennesaw State (No. 62), New Mexico State (No. 63), Sam Houston (No. 69), UTEP (No. 100), Liberty No. 109), Middle Tennessee (No. 120), Louisiana Tech (No. 124), Jacksonville State (No. 134) and Western Kentucky (No. 172).
Liberty only played two team tournaments during the fall, losing a pair of events due to the effects of Hurricane Milton.
The Island at West Bay Club Collegiate Invitational (Oct. 7-8 in Estero, Fla.) was halted midway through Round 1, while the Quail Valley Collegiate Invitational (Oct. 13-14 in Vero Beach, Fla.) was canceled before it started.
Liberty has had a pair of golfers earn Conference USA Player of the Week honors during the 2024-25 season.
Following a fourth-place finish at the Ka'anapali Classic Collegiate Invitational, Ike Joy was named the conference's player of the week on November 6.
After claiming his first collegiate medalist honor at an individual event hosted by Georgia Southern, Michael Lugiano took home the league's top weekly honor on February 5.
Michael Lugiano claimed medalist honors at the Thomas Sharkey Individual Collegiate with a winning score of 9-under par 207 (67-70-70) on February 2.
With the victory, Lugiano earned the 35th individual medalist honor in Liberty's NCAA Division I program history and the first since 2022.
Joy earned his second CUSA weekly honor on March 12 when he was named the conference's player of the week following a sixth-place finish at The Hayt.
Ike Joy is currently the top-ranked golfer in Conference USA. He is ranked No. 92 in the last national rankings, placing him four spots ahead of Kennesaw State's Claes Borregaard at No. 96).
Michael Lugiano currently leads the Flames with 47 birdies, followed by Ike Joy (42), Evan Barbin (39) and Pascal Gunther (37).
The Flames enter the spring portion of their season looking to capture their ninth conference title in program history (Big South Conference: 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018), ASUN Conference (2021 and 2023), Conference USA (2024).
The Flames have advanced to the NCAA Regionals 12 of the last 13 regional events and to the NCAA Men's Golf Championship four times in program history (2012, 2019, 2021 and 2022).
For the first time in program history, Liberty will host an NCAA Men's Golf Regional when they welcome some of the best teams in the country to the Poplar Grove Golf Course in Amherst, Va., May 12-14, 2025.

Looking at the Latest Rankings:
(Scoreboard Powered by Clippd Rankings as of March 12)
Auburn (No. 1)
Baylor (No. 88)
Charleston (No. 45)
Coastal Carolina (No. 79)
Duke (No. 19)
ETSU (No. 99)
Furman (No. 66)
High Point (No. 177)
Kent State (No. 77)
Liberty (No. 109)
Louisville (No. 39)
Missouri (No. 107)
NC State (No. 44)
Nevada (No. 158)
North Florida (No. 92)
Wake Forest (No. 40)

Course Information:

The Dunes Golf & Beach Club (Myrtle Beach, S.C.)
Par 72, 7,233 yards

Following the Flames at the General Hackler Championship:

Live stats will be available at Golfstat.com
Twitter @LibertyGolf
Instagram @LibertyGolf
Round 1 Tee Time: Sunday at 8:05 a.m./EST (No. 10 tee)

Schedule

Flames Conclude Spring Break at General Hackler Championship

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Evan Barbin

Andrew Gregory

Pascal Gunther

Ike Joy

Luke Libbey

Michael Lugiano

Josh Ryan

Flames Conclude Spring Break at General Hackler Championship

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Evan Barbin

Andrew Gregory

Pascal Gunther

Ike Joy

Luke Libbey

Michael Lugiano

Josh Ryan

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