Michigan State’s men’s golf team starts the 2026-27 season on Monday, and it does so with a little more flair than the usual road trip. The Spartans head to Bayonne Golf Club in Bayonne, N.J., for the New York Harbor Cup, a nine-team event that opens with 36 holes on Monday, Aug. 31, before wrapping up with 18 holes on Tuesday, Sept. 1.
What makes this tournament stand out is the commute. Instead of loading onto a team bus, players and staff will cross New York Harbor by ferry from the Brookfield Place Terminal in Lower Manhattan to Bayonne Golf Club. The team will stay at the New York Marriott Downtown during the week.
The tournament will be played at Bayonne Golf Club, a par-72 layout that stretches 7,375 yards. It’s a 54-hole stroke-play event with five players competing and the best four scores counting.
Monday’s first two rounds will run in continuous play, with tee times from 7:45 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. Tuesday’s final round will begin with tee times between 8:15 a.m. and 9:45 a.m.
Michigan State’s lineup features McCoy Biagioli at No. 1, followed by Julian Menser, Lorenzo Pinili, Luke Mueller and Lucas Acevedo. Drew Miller and Connor Fox are entered as individuals.
The field includes Rutgers as host, along with Kansas, Little Rock, Marquette, Nebraska, Purdue, South Florida and West Virginia.
Bayonne Golf Club itself brings a distinctive setting to the opening week. Sitting across the Hudson River from Manhattan, the waterfront course was designed to echo the feel of classic links golf in Scotland and Ireland. Since opening in 2006, it has picked up plenty of recognition as one of the most striking clubs in the area.
The Spartans are trying to get back to the NCAA Regionals after a run of four straight appearances came to an end last season. They also bring back a veteran core, with three seniors who were all among the top five on the team in scoring average a year ago.
Pinili is the most experienced returnee in the group. A Big Ten Championships All-Tournament Team selection in 2025, he finished third on the team last season with a 72.48 scoring average.
Biagioli, who transferred to MSU last year after earning All-American honors as a sophomore at Ferris State, also made an immediate impact. He posted a 72.56 scoring average, tied for third on the team, and added two top-10 finishes.
Acevedo played in eight tournaments last year and finished with a 73.32 average.
Michigan State’s depth also includes a pair of juniors and two sophomores who have already seen meaningful action. Miller and Menser both contributed as scorers in their first two seasons, and Miller led the team at the 2025 NCAA Regional. Fox and Mueller each earned lineup chances as freshmen, with Mueller appearing in the final three events and tying for 34th at the Big Ten Championships.
Last season, Michigan State opened at the Island Resort Intercollegiate and finished fourth among 12 teams at 32-under par 832 after rounds of 282, 277 and 273. Biagioli, then in his first event for the Spartans, tied for third at 15-under par 201.
The year before that, MSU began at the Folds of Honor Collegiate at American Dunes Golf Club in Grand Haven, Mich. The Spartans finished fourth of 15 teams at 9-over par 861 in the 2024-25 season opener, and they were second of 18 teams at the same score in 2023-24.
Live scoring for the New York Harbor Cup will be available through Clippd.
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