TOWSON, Md. – The Towson University men's golf team is excited to host its annual Towson Invitational this weekend at Prospect Bay Country Club. The two-round event is Saturday, April 6 and Sunday, April 7.
 
Freshman Justin Griffith is looking forward to his first experience competing in this event. The 5 foot, 11 inch Allison Park, Pennsylvania native has already made an immediate impact for the Tigers.
 
"I have been fairly satisfied with my freshman year thus far," Griffith said. "I have played some pretty solid golf for most of the year but I have yet to really perform and shoot the scores I know I am capable of. I have been fortunate to play in all of our events this year and it has been a fun new experience."
 
Griffith has competed in all eight events for the Tigers this season. He is tied with sophomore Kobdech Rodrat with a 76.5 scoring average in the spring. For the season, Griffith is second on the team with a 75.2 scoring average.  
 
He shot a season low one-under 71 in the final round of the Loyola Intercollegiate in Arizona. He also shot an even par 72 in his second career collegiate event, the Hartford Hawk Invitational. In Towson's last tournament, Griffin was 18th overall. His effort helped the Tigers finish fourth at the Cape Fear National Collegiate tournament.
 
"I'm really looking forward to our home event this upcoming weekend," Griffith said. "Although we have not really had the season we had planned, we get another chance to show the other teams how good we can be. Hopefully we can get some good momentum as a team leading in to conference championships later this month."
 
Griffith started playing golf when he was around 7 years old. He started hitting balls around his yard with his dad and friends. Griffith's parents took him to play his first official round of golf when he was 10 years old. The rest is history. He continued improving. Griffith understands he's still far from a perfect, which is a thought that keeps the business major motivated.
 
"Golf is such a mental battle," Griffith said. "It took me a while to learn that getting upset and frustrated is not going to help you out on the course. The best players are the ones who can keep a positive attitude and just keep on grinding out the best score they can. I would advise people who have trouble with the mental aspect of the game to remember that it is just a game and it is meant to be fun. That is what I try to keep in perspective when I am out on the course."
 
Griffith's favorite golfer is Tiger Woods and his sports role model is Sidney Crosby.
 
"Sidney has an extremely hard work ethic and is dedicated to making himself and all of his teammates the best they can possibly be," Griffith said. "Also, he uses his platform as a famous hockey player to help his community in various ways which I think is awesome to see people use their fortunate positions in life to help others who may be less fortunate.
 
"Tiger has had some personal flaws and has made some mistakes but his ability as a golfer is unmatched. The things he can do in the biggest moments are what drives me to want to work hard to be able to come through when it matters the most, just as he has done for his whole career."
 
Last year at the Towson Invitational, Towson (612 +36) finished third overall behind Saint Bonaventure (603 +27) and Central Connecticut State (609 +33). Sophomore Kobdech Rodrat was tied for first overall.
 
Joining Towson in this year's event are Long Island, Fairfield, Mount St. Mary's, FDU, St. Anselm, Robert Morris, Youngstown State, Bryant, St. Francis, Pa., Manhattan, North Carolina A&T, Canisius, Goucher and Hofstra.
 
"The best part about being on the Towson golf team is getting to play and practice with your buddies," Griffith said. "When you are a part of a team, you have kids that are in the same exact position that you are in. It is great to be able to be able to ask the other kids on the team for advice on things you may be struggling in, but more importantly it makes it a lot more fun. Two of my main goals are to win conference as a team and as an individual. I am confident in the guys that we have that we can get the job done as a team."