Goecke captures Horizon League title in playoff; Raiders second

Tuesday, April 25

Howey-in-the-Hills, FL / Mission Inn Resort

Wright State University

Horizon League Championship

Photo by: Horizon League

Goecke captures Horizon League title in playoff; Raiders second

4/25/2023 3:15:00 PM | Men's Golf

HOWEY-IN-THE-HILLS, FL – Tyler Goecke captured the 2023 Horizon League Championship individual title on the second playoff hole Tuesday afternoon, marking the second straight year the Raiders have won top individual honors, as the Wright State golf team finished second as a group in the championship.

Tied for second entering the final round, Goecke turned in a three-under final round 69 with four birdies and a long bogey. He birdied the 18th hole to pull into a tie atop the leaderboard and put the pressure on Purdue Fort Wayne's Kasey Lilly, who bogeyed the 17th hole moments earlier before a par on 18 to force the playoff. Goecke and Lilly played the opening playoff hole even before Goecke's par on the second playoff gave him the title.

.@tylergoecke of @WrightStateGolf wins the men's #HLGOLF individual title with this shot on the second playoff hole! pic.twitter.com/H3wf7u4ETN
— Horizon League (@HorizonLeague) April 25, 2023

Goecke follows teammate Mikkel Mathiesen, who took home top individual honors last spring, and becomes the eighth Raider in program history to win the individual title. The eight individual championships by Wright State are now the most in Horizon League history. Goecke's win also marks the second time in Wright State program history that a pair of Raiders captured back-to-back Horizon League individual titles, joining former Raiders Scott Hailes (1996) and Pete Samborsky (1997).

Wright State started off the front nine on Tuesday, recording six birdies as a group to set themselves up in good position over the final nine holes. The Raiders combined to tally seven birdies and an eagle over holes 10 through 14 before only one birdie over the final four holes to close play.

Mathiesen turned in his second straight top five finish in the Horizon League Championship, following up his title last spring with a one-under finish in a tie for fourth following a final round even-par 72 that saw him mix a trio of birdies across his scorecard with three scattered bogeys. Davis Root carded a five-over 77 on Tuesday, recording three birdies, including a pair over his final nine holes but mixing in a trio of double bogeys on his final scorecard. Andrew Flynn also finished inside the top 20 in a tie for 19th at 10-over, tallying a five-over 77 of his own that also featured three birdies. Cole Corder rounded out the Raider lineup, finishing the tournament tied for 26th with a 12-over total following his four-over 76 on Tuesday that featured an eagle three on the par five 14th hole.

Wright State finished the week with a tournament-best five eagles, with four coming on the par five 14th hole by four different players, while the Raiders' 169 pars were also the best in the field. Wright State recorded a 24-under mark on par fives over the three rounds and a six-over scoring average on par threes, both tops in the field.

Congrats again to Tyler Goecke on winning the #HLGOLF individual title!

-Raiders have won the last 2 HL indiv. titles, the 2nd time in program history we've done that.
-Raiders now have 8 indiv. titles as a program, the most in HL history.#RaiderUP | #FullRaid | #RaiderFamily pic.twitter.com/uXcLFAh26U
— Wright State Golf (@WrightStateGolf) April 25, 2023