NC State men’s golf opened its 2024-25 season with a victory at the Rod Myers Invitational, playing at the Duke University Golf Club in Durham, North Carolina.
Over two days of competition, NC State placed first in the 11-team field with a score of 22-under par — 10 strokes ahead of second-place Duke. Continuing his hot streak from last season, redshirt senior Nick Mathews paced all golfers, finishing his three rounds with a score of 14-under par — six shots better than runner-up Connor McNeely.
Fresh off a top-15 finish in the NCAA Championship last season, Mathews took leadership for the Wolfpack with the lowest score of all three rounds. He finished round one with a score of 2-under par, making his way into the top 12.
Mathews then found his game in the middle 18 holes, finishing with a tournament-best 8-under par round that gave him sole possession of first place. Mathews didn’t relinquish his position as he wrapped up his tournament with a 4-under par final 18 in round three.
The redshirt senior played his best golf on Par 4s and 5s. Mathews had the best score on Par 4s, shooting 6-under par on them for the tournament. He also led the field in Par 5 scoring, going 8-under par on such holes. Mathews was also the only player in the tournament to record two eagles.
Mathews won the tournament by a margin of six strokes as his score of 202 (-14) tied for the fourth-best score related to par in program history and stands as the second-best individual score in the history of the Rod Myers Invitational.
Junior Joey Lenane was the second highest-placing player for NC State with a score of 4-under par to secure a tie for 7th place. Lenane opened the tournament shooting even in round one and then a round two score of 1-over par. In his last round, Lenane went 5-under par to jump up 16 spots on the leaderboard and record a top-10 finish for the Wolfpack.
Making his first appearance in a collegiate tournament, freshman Xander Goboy finished with a score of 3-under par to place in a tie for 10th, securing the Wolfpack’s third top-10 appearance of the tournament. Goboy started slow through his first two rounds, scoring 2-over par. However, much like his teammates, Goboy found his game in round three, shooting 5-under par to leap up 17 spots on the leaderboard.
Akin to Goboy, the Rod Myers Invitational was also the first tournament for freshman Michele Ferrero. Ferrero had a strong start in his debut, shooting 3-under par through the first two rounds. Ferrero fizzled out in the final round with a score of 2-over par, but his final score of 1-under par was enough for a 13th place tie and the Wolfpack’s fourth appearance in the top 15.
Up next, NC State will travel to Dallas, Texas for the Trinity Forest Invitational. The tournament will take place from Oct. 6-8.
