ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (EMUEagles.com) — Just three days removed from finishing fifth in Chicago, the Eastern Michigan University men’s golf team will compete in its second event of the week when the Eagles tee off at the 2025 William H. Tucker Intercollegiate, Friday-Saturday, Sept. 19-20, in Albuquerque, N.M. Eastern is one of 18 teams set to compete on the University of New Mexico Championship Course in an event that will feature 11 teams that ended the 2024-25 season ranked among the top 100 in the NCAA.
THIS WEEK’S LINE UP
Here are the Eagles that will compete at the William H. Tucker Intercollegiate:
1. Charlie Box (Jr.) • 70.8 avg. | 2025 NJCAA DI Champion… T9th at the Highland Invite earlier this week
2. Robby Turnbull (Fr.) • Making his debut for the Eagles this week
3. Joshua Hess (Fr.) • 71.8 avg. | Captured first top 20 finish by tying for 19th at Highland Invitational
4. Tim Chan (Sr.) • 71.8 avg. | Led the team at Whirlwind Collegiate by placing T24th
5. Carlos Fernández Mortera (Jr.) • 75.2 avg. | Season-best T48th at Highland Invitational
CHIP INS
» Freshman Robby Turnbull, who will make his EMU debut this week, has been invited to compete in a pair of international tournaments in October. He will represent Team New Zealand at the 2025 World Amateur Team Championships in Singapore (Oct. 8-11) and the 16th Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (Oct. 23-26) in United Arab Emirates.
» Seven former Eagles are currently competing on professional tours, led by Brett White, who currently sits fourth on the Fortinet Cup standings with the top 10 finishers earning Korn Ferry Tour exemption for 2025-26. The others competing are Michael Blair, Beau Breault, Ty Celone, Cougar Collins, Cam Kellett, Zack Mason, and Eddie Maunder.
» PGA TOUR Q School opens this week with Pre-Qualifying at eight locations and three former Eagles are in the field, including Kyle Rodes in Valdosta, Ga., and both Patrick Deardorff and Cam Kellett in Woodstock, Ill.
» The Eagles are slated to play in six events this fall with stops in four different time zones, including Eastern (Michigan and Florida), Central (Illinois), Mountain (Arizona and New Mexico), and Hawaiian. All told in 2025-26, EMU will play in 12 total events, including spring events in Alabama, California, Florida, Ohio, and Texas, before playing in the 2026 MAC Championships in Zionsville, Ind. (May 3-5).
» EMU’s roster features seven players with two returning players in Tim Chan and Rory McDonald-O’Brien, the 2025 MAC runner-up. Both seniors are set for the final collegiate campaigns this year after averaging 72.8 (No. 12 in EMU history) and 73.3 (No. 21) strokes, respectively, last year.
» There are five newcomers to the roster this year, including three transfers and two freshmen. The transfers include senior Leo Mihaich (Argentina/Oklahoma Christian) and juniors Charlie Box (England/Hutchinson CC) and Carlos Fernández Mortera (Spain/Charleston). The two freshmen include Joshua Hess (Switzerland) and Robby Turnbull (New Zealand).
TOURNAMENT INFO: THE FACTS
The 2025 William H. Tucker Intercollegiate will be played over two days on the par-72, 7,555-yard UNM Championship Course with 36 holes played Friday, Sept. 19, and 18 played Saturday, Sept. 20. Players will tee off at 7:30 a.m. MT (9:30 a.m. ET) in a shotgun format, Sept. 19, before starting the final round, Sept. 20, at 7:45 a.m. MT (9:45 a.m. ET). Live scoring will be available through Scoreboard.Clippd.com.
TOURNAMENT INFO: THE FIELD
Along with the Eagles and host Lobos of New Mexico, the William H. Tucker Intercollegiate will include 18 teams with half having played in the 2025 NCAA Regional competitions. The full field includes Arkansas State, Colorado, Colorado State, EMU, Fresno State, Grand Canyon, Long Beach State, UNM, New Mexico State, North Texas, Oral Roberts, Rice, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Stetson, Tarleton State, USC, and UTEP.
IN THE RANKINGS • TEAMS
Looking back at the final Scoreboard/Clippd rankings of 2024-25 (new season rankings begin in October), 17-of-18 teams in the field were ranked among the top 145 last year with four in the top 50, 11 in the top 100, and 16 in the top 125. The teams in the top 50 included No. 32 Colorado, No. 33 Long Beach State, No. 43 New Mexico, and No. 50 USC, while the top 100 was rounded out by No. 51 Santa Clara, No. 56 Colorado State, No. 58 Grand Canyon, No. 63 New Mexico State, No. 71 Arkansas State, No. 88 Rice, and No. 97 UTEP. Overall, both Colorado and New Mexico advanced to the NCAA Championships after playing in the regional round that also included CSU, GCU, LBSU, NMSU, Oral Roberts, Santa Clara, and USC.
RECAP: HIGHLANDS
Eastern finished fifth at the Highlands Invitational hosted by Turtleson at Chicago Highland Golf Club in Westchester, Ill., as the Eagles shot 9-over 873 (291-294-288) in the 13-team field, Sept. 15-16. Charlie Box led the way at 4-under 212 to tie for ninth overall as he shot rounds of 69, 70, and 73 for his first top 10 showing in an NCAA Division I-level tournament and the 18th time in his career. Freshman Joshua Hess posted his first career top 20 showing as he tied for 19th at 2-over 218 (77-70-71) while Tim Chan was just outside the top 20 as he tied for 23rd at 4-over 220 (68-81-71).
PRO EAGLES: CLOSING IN
Four former Eagles have been competing on the PGA TOUR Americas circuit this summer, including Beau Breault, Ty Celone, Cougar Collins, and Brett White. This week (Sept. 18-21), the Breault, Collins, and White will tee it up at the Times Colonist Victoria Open, the circuit’s final event of the season ahead of the 2025 Fortinet Cup Championship (Sept. 25-28). As it stands, White sits fourth in the Fortinet Cup standings with Breault 19th. Following the championship tournament, the players finishing in the top 10 of the standings will earn exempt Korn Ferry Tour membership for the 2026 season.
PRO EAGLES: BACK TO SCHOOL
Three former Eagles are currently competing in the PGA TOUR Q School Pre-Qualifying tournaments, which is the beginning of the path toward TOUR membership. In Pre-Qualifying, eight locations will host events with the top 35 finishers, including ties, will advance to the sites hosting the PGA TOUR Q School First Round in mid-October. This week, Kyle Rodes is in the field at Kinderlou Forest GC in Valdosta, Ga., while Patrick Deardorff and Cam Kellett are taking on the field at Bull Valley GC in Woodstock, Ill.
GETTING CREATIVE
The PGA TOUR Q School event is not the only tournament on Kyle Rodes’ schedule as the former Eagle was invited to compete in the inaugural The Golf Creator Open, Oct. 4, at Palm Aire Oaks Golf Club in Pompano Beach, Fla. The event will feature 100 social media golf creators with a 9-hole content scramble taking place at 8 a.m. with the open tournament starting at noon.
INTERNATIONAL DUTY
Robby Turnbull has been selected to represent Team New Zealand in a pair of international tournaments in October with one in Singapore and one in the United Arab Emirates. First, Turnbull and TNZ will take part in the 2025 World Amateur Team Championship, Oct. 8-11, on the Tampines Course at Tanaha Merah Country Club in Singapore where the teams will compete for the Eisenhower Trophy. Later in the month, Turnbull will compete in the 16th Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, Oct. 23-26, on the Majlis Course of the Emirates Golf Club in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Turnbull competed in the event in 2024, tying for 49th in Japan.
LOGGING MILES
The Eagles will once again spread their wings and play in tournaments in 11 different states in 2025-26, including five of the six time zones across the United States. In the fall, Eastern is set to play in tournaments in Arizona, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Michigan, and New Mexico before taking part in events in Alabama, California, Florida, Indiana, Ohio, and Texas during the spring season.
ON THE HORIZON
Eastern Michigan will return to action, Sunday-Monday, Sept. 28-29, when it travels across the state to Point O’Woods Golf Club in Benton Harbor, Mich., for the inaugural Jim DeLapa Collegiate. The 54-hole, two-day event will feature three Mid-American Conference teams in EMU, host Central Michigan University, and Northern Illinois University, along with players from the following schools: Chicago State University, the University of Cincinnati, Florida Gulf Coast University, Grand Canyon University, the University of Michigan, the University of the Pacific, Princeton University, St. Mary’s College (Calif.), University of San Francisco, and San Jose State University.
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