As is the case with most seasons, the Clarkson University Golf team will be close to home to start the fall, but this time around the Golden Knights will begin with a midweek 18-hole tournament on its home turf, the Potsdam Town & Country Club.
Guided by third-year coach Tyler Cline and first-year assistant Brant Bomberger, the Knights will ease into the season with a tournament in Potsdam and then head down Route 11 for the annual St. Lawrence Invitational held at Oliver D. Appleton Golf Course, their first two-day event of 2025.
Clarkson saw a few of its regular weekend competitors depart due to graduation, but its top two scorers from the past two seasons return in juniors Eric Spoth and Ryan Makowski. Spoth was picked as a Liberty League All-Star a year ago, finishing with a scoring average of 75.95. He was able to reach such a low average thanks to regular rounds in the 70s, including 10 in which he scored 75 or less. His season-low of 67 in Canton at Partridge Run was the lowest score for any of the Knights in the 2024-25 season. Makowski was also a consistent scorer for the Knights a year ago, registering 16 of 19 full rounds in the 70s for an average of 76.62. Unless something strange happens this fall, you can etch those two names in stone for every weekend for the Knights.
Sophomore Tyler Yacawych ended the season with the team’s fourth best scoring average at 78.32, just shy of the third-place score for the team. Yacawych stood out on a number of occasions last year, scoring below 80 on nine occasions and notching a 75 or less five times.
In many seasons, several of the scoring averages for the other returners would be good enough for regular travel plans on weekends. Luke Weisiger averaged 79.75 in four rounds, Jace Dutch scored 80.50, and Aaron Walsh averaged 81.75. Joe Tiderencel was the most frequent regular for weekends among the group, as he averaged 81.41 strokes per 18 in 14 competitive rounds, including four sub-80 scores.
Clarkson has four newcomers to the fold this fall as well. Sophomore Brian Secor joins the team and already looks like he could challenge for the top five on a regular basis. Freshmen Alex Sweeney, Vincent Magee, and Payne Wood will also vie for weekend spots.
