North Carolina Wilmington, behind individual champion
Segundo Oliva Pinto, a freshman from Argentina, carded the best team round of
the weekend, a 3-under-par 281, to pull away for its second straight Colonia
Athletic Association title Sunday at the No. 8 Course at the Pinehurst Resort
in Pinehurst, N.C.
The Seahawks had carded a pair of 10-over 293s in the first
two rounds Friday and Saturday to trail the College of Charleston by a shot
heading into the Easter Sunday finale. The strong finish enabled UNC Wilmington
to finish with a 15-over 867 total, six shots clear of the College of
Charleston.
The College of Charleston had grabbed the lead with an
opening round of 3-over 287, a round that was interruped by weather on a couple
of occasions and finally suspended because of lightning as darkness descended
on the 7,088-yard, par-71 No. 8 layout. The Cougars fell back with a 14-over
298 in the second round, but still took the team lead into the final round.
Another 14-over 298 in the final round left the College of
Charleston in second place at 21-over 873. James Madison closed with a 7-over
291 to finish another six shots behind the College of Charleston third place at
27-over 879. Elon finished with its best round of the weekend, a 5-over 289, to
land in fourth place at 31-over 883, four shots behind James Madison.
Delaware trailed the College of Charleston by 11 shots going
into the final round, but the Blue Hens struggled to a 15-over 299 in the final
round to finish fifth at 40-over 892.
Drexel had pulled within nine shots of the lead after two
rounds behind a brilliant 5-under 66 by junior Connor Schmidt, a Peters
Township product and the reigning Pennsylvania Amateur champion, in the second
round. But the Dragons faltered in the final round with a 305 that left them in
sixth place, two shots behind Delaware at 42-over 294.
Schmidt’s 66, after an opening round of even-par 72, gave
him the individual lead after two rounds at 4-under 138. His 66 was the low
individual round of the weekend. But he struggled in the final round with a 79
that left him among a group of four players tied for fifth at 4-over 217.
Schmidt, who had finished third in last spring’s CAA
Championship at the Lonnie Poole Golf Course at North Carolina State, has had a
really strong spring, winning two tournament titles. Not sure what his summer
golf plans are, but I wouldn’t be shocked to see him right back at Pinehurst,
teeing it up in the U.S. Amateur in August.
UNC Wilmington’s Oliva Pinto rallied with a 1-under 70 in
the final round to join three other players tied for the top spot at 2-over 215
and then birdied the 18th hole, the first hole of a playoff, to
capture the CAA individual crown.
Oliva Pinto opened with an even-par 71, but trailed Schmidt
by seven shots after posting a 3-over 74 in Saturday’s second round before his
strong finish enabled him to join a group that included Elon’s Willian Harwood,
a junior from Columbia, S.C., the College of Charleston’s Michael Sass, a
junior from Louisville, Ky. and the defending individual champion, and James
Madison’s George Heath, a freshman from England.
The Seahawks had two other players in the top 10. Reese
McFarlane, a junior from Cape Elizabeth, Me., had the low round of the day in
the final round for UNC Wilmington, a 3-under 68 that left him in the group
along with Drexel’s Schmidt tied for fifth at 4-over 217.
Blake McShea, a junior from Zebulon, N.C., matched his
teammate Oliva Pinto’s final round of 1-under 70, to finish in a tie for ninth
at 6-over 219. McShea was the runnerup to Sass a year ago at N.C. State.
Stephen Saleeby, a senior from Raleigh, N.C., finished in
the group tied for 11th at 7-over 220 after a final round of 2-over
73. Rounding out the UNC Wilmington lineup was Tripp Summerlin, a junior from Summerfield,
N.C. who finished among the group tied for 21st at 11-over 224 after a final
round of 3-over 74.
The College of Charleston’s Sass trailed Schmidt by only two
shots after carding respective rounds of 68 and 72 Friday and Saturday. A final
round of 4-over 75 left him in the playoff for the individual title.
Elon’s Harwood and James Madison’s Heath each closed with a
1-over 72 to join Sass and Oliva Pinto at 2-over and in the playoff.
Joining Drexel’s Schmidt and UNC Wilmington’s McFarlane in
the quartet tied for fifth were Elon’s Graham Hutchinson, a sophomore from Dallas,
and the College of Charleston’s Logan Sowell, a junior from Kershaw, S.C.
Hutchinson added a pair of 1-over 72s to his opening round of even-par 71 while
Sowell got it under par in the final round with a 70.
Joining UNC Wilmington’s McShea in the tie for ninth at
6-over 219 was James Madison’s Walker Cress, a junior from Concord, N.C. who
followed up an opening-round 75 with a pair of 1-over 72s.
Delaware was led by a couple of its freshmen as Robert
Nieves of Miami, Fla. and Matt Pulgini of Middletown, Del. both landed in the
group tied for 13th at 8-over 221. Each contributed a 1-over 72 in
the second round while Nieves closed with a 4-over 75 and Pulgini finished up
with a 5-over 76.
Junior R.J. Wren, who starred scholastically at Twin Valley
and is an occasional Stonewall looper, closed with a 3-over 74 to finish in a
tie for 21st at 11-over 224. Wren had posted a pair of 75s in the
first two rounds. Junior Jack Melville, one of District One’s top players
during his high school career at Upper Dublin, finished in a tie for 29th
at 229. Melville opened with a 2-over 73 before posting a 79 Saturday and a 77
in Sunday’s final round.
Rounding out the Delaware lineup was senior Nick Vecellio, a
Northwestern Lehigh product who finished in a tie for 37th at 234.
Vecellio closed out his Delaware career in the final round with a 3-over 74 that
was a counter for the Blue Hens.
Backing up Schmidt for Drexel was Angelo Giantsopoulos, a
sophomore from Canada who had the best round of the day for the Dragons in
Sunday’s final round, an even-par 71 that left him the group tied for 13th
at 8-over 221.
Junior Alex Butler, a member of the 2014 PIAA Class AAA
champion St. Joseph’s Prep team as a junior, finished among the group tied for
35th at 233 after closing with a 79.
Sophomore Stephen Cerbara, the 2015 PIAA Class AAA champion as
a senior at Holy Ghost Prep, struggled at Pinehurst No. 8, finishing tied for
41st at 241 after closing with a 5-over 76.
Jeffrey Cunningham, a sophomore from West Palm Beach, Fla.,
had moved into a tie for ninth place after adding a 74 to his opening round of
2-over 73. Cunningham, however, withdrew in the final round. Could have been just
about anything, but there was no explanation on the Drexel website.
Senior David Hicks,
who starred scholastically at Middle Township at the Jersey Shore, finished up
a solid career at William & Mary in the group tied for 11th at
7-over 220. Hicks opened with a 1-over 72 and added a 75 before finishing up
with a 2-over 73.
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