A memorable calendar year for the Valparaiso University men’s golf program will close in equally memorable fashion this weekend.

When the Beacons take the course for the final time before the calendar flips to 2024, they will not do so on U.S. soil. For the first time in program history, the team has left the country to take part in the Monterrey Collegiate Classic in Monterrey, Mexico beginning on Friday.

“This continues to be an exciting time for our golf program,” head coach Dave Gring said. “We have been blessed with the opportunity to play a tournament in a foreign country for the first time. We received the invitation for this inaugural tournament last spring, and we knew this would be a tremendous experience for our players. One of our foundational principles is to provide an exceptional Division 1 experience to every one of our players, and the guys will remember this tournament and travel for many years.”

The event features a 10-team field – host George Washington, Howard, Idaho, Loyola (MD), North Dakota State, Tarleton State, Utah State, UTRGV, Yale and Valpo. The tournament will be held at Campestre Monterrey’s par-72, 7141-yard Mitras/Silla Courses. Instead of the more traditional format of 36 holes on Day 1 and 18 holes on Day 2, the tournament will feature 27 holes on Friday and 27 on Saturday. A link to live scoring via GolfStat can be found on ValpoAthletics.com.

“The tournament is going to have a unique format where we will play 27 holes on Friday and 27 holes on Saturday,” Gring said. “We will be playing an equal amount on the Silla and Mitras courses. Playing on Bermuda grass will be an adjustment for us, even though the greens all feature bent grass. There’s a good amount of changes in elevation throughout the course, so we will make our adjustments in adding and subtracting yardage on given approach shots. We will be playing right around a total elevation of 2,000 feet, so we will take into account our yardage differences for that also.”

This marks the final tournament of the 2023 calendar year, one that has seen the Beacons finish as the Missouri Valley Conference Championship runners-up, send two individuals (Caleb VanArragon and Anthony Delisanti) to NCAA Regionals and earn a team postseason berth in the National Golf Invitational (NGI).

“The team has played solid all year,” Gring said. “We have had some of our guys out of our lineup with injuries and sickness this fall, but other guys have stepped up, and that speaks to the depth on our team. I’m very pleased with the way the team has practiced this fall and especially later into October. I feel the team is well prepared for our final fall tournament and they’re ready to compete after having a few weeks off following our last tournament. The guys are excited to play on a gorgeous golf course and the weather looks terrific for the entire tournament.”