Another solid showing by McGrath helps Temple finish fifth in Matthews Auto Intercollegiate

    BMW Philadelphia Amateur champion Conor McGrath continued his strong play for Temple this fall with another top-10 finish as he led the Owls to fifth place in the Matthews Auto Intercollegiate, hosted by Binghamton, which wrapped up Monday at The Links of Hiawatha Landing in Apalachin, N.Y.

   McGrath, an Academy of the New Church product, opened with a 3-under-par 69 Sunday over the 7,159-yard, par-72 Links of Hiawatha Landing layout as Temple carded a solid 2-under 286 that left the Owls two shots behind Mount St. Mary’s in the team chase.

   McGrath, a junior, added a 1-over 73 in Monday’s final round, ending his streak of six straight rounds at par or better, as he finished in a group of five players tied for ninth place at 2-under 142. Temple, which plays out of the American Athletic Conference, fell back in the second round with a 4-over 290 to finish in fifth place with an even-par 576 total.

   McGrath, a product of the junior program at Huntingdon Valley Country Club, had finished in second place individually to lead Temple to the team crown in last month’s Cornell Invitational. McGrath had opened the season with a runnerup finish in the Golfweek Fall Challenge.

   Mount St. Mary’s, behind runaway individual winner Devin Smith, who finished in a tie for fourth place in the PIAA Class AAA Championship as a senior at Waynesboro last fall, closed with a sparkling 10-under 278 in Monday’s second round to roll to an eight-shot victory over Colgate. The Mountaineers play out of the Northeast Conference.

   After grabbing a share of the opening-round lead with a solid 4-under 68, Smith fired a scintillating 7-under 65 in Monday’s final round for an 11-under 133 total and a six-shot victory.

   Colgate, a Patriot League representative, had shared second place with Temple following an opening-round 286 before adding a 4-under 284 that left the Raiders with a 6-under 570 total, six shots behind the Mount.

   Cornell, out of the Ivy League, matched Mount St. Mary’s sizzling second-round performance with a 10-under 278 after opening with a 7-over 295 as the Big Red finished in third place, three shots behind Colgate with a 3-under 573 total.

   Host Binghamton, out of the America East Conference, was another two shots behind Cornell in fourth place as the Bearcats added a 2-under 286 to their opening-round 289 for a 1-under 575 total. Temple’s even-par 576 total left the Owls a shot behind Binghamton in fifth place.

   A couple of other City 6 entries, Saint Joseph’s and La Salle, both of which play out of the Atlantic 10 Conference, teed it up at The Links of Hiawatha Landing and finished ninth and 10^th, respectively, in the 14-team field that included B teams for Binghamton and Cornell.

   The Hawks improved two shots from an opening-round 294 with a 4-over 292 in the second round for a 10-over 586 total. The Explorers added a 300 to their opening-round 302 for a 26-over 602 total that left them 16 shots behind St. Joe’s at 26-over 602.

   Backing up Devin Smith for the Mount was sophomore Juan Fradera, who matched par in the second round with a 72 after opening with a 3-under 69 to join a group of five players tied for fourth place with a 3-under 141 total.

   Aaron Sorkin, a freshman from Westminster, Md., added a 2-under 70 to his opening-round 71 to finish among the group tied for 14^th place for the Mountaineers with a 1-under 143 total. Hank Schaefer, a sophomore from Orlando, Fla., contributed a 1-under 71 to the Mount’s second-round surge after opening with a 74 as he finished alone in 22^nd place with a 1-over 145 total.

   Rounding out the lineup for Mount St. Mary’s was senior Michael Robinson, a New Oxford product who matched par in Monday’s second round with a 72 after opening with a 78 as he landed among the group tied for 44^th place at 6-over 150.

   Colgate’s Robbie Herzig, a freshman from New York City, was Devin Smith’s closest pursuer as he added a 3-under 69 to his opening-round 70 for a 5-under 139 total that earned him a runnerup finish.

   Cornell got solid showings from Josh Lundmark, a junior from Hinsdale, Ill. who finished alone in third place with a 4-under 140 total, and Samuel King, a junior from Ponte Vedra, Fla. and Gus Lascola, a senior from Durham, N.C., both of whom were in the group tied for fourth place at 3-under 141.

  Lundmark closed with a 4-under 68 after matching par in the opening round with a 72. After opening with a 75, King ripped off a sparkling 6-under 66. Lascola matched par in Monday’s second round after opening with a solid 3-under 69.

   Herzig’s Colgate teammate, Dugan McCabe, a sophomore from Bethesda, Md., had another strong showing as he also landed in the group tied for fourth place at 3-under 141. McCabe, coming off individual victories in the Alex Lagowitz Memorial Invitational and the Cornell Invitational, matched par in Monday’s final round with a 72 after opening with a 3-under 69.

   Rounding out the group tied for fourth place at 3-under was Binghamton’s Justin Lane, a graduate student from Woodstock, N.Y. who shared the lead with Devin Smith following an opening round of 4-under 68 before backing off with a 73 in Monday’s second round.

   Joining Temple’s McGrath in the group tied for ninth place at 2-under 142 was Monmouth graduate student Ron Robinson, who starred scholastically at North Penn and was a top performer in the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s junior circuit. After opening with a 74, Robinson carded a solid 4-under 68 in Monday’s second round.

   Robinson’s teammate at Monmouth, Brendan Smith, a senior from Sayville, N.Y., was also in the group at 2-under as he had the same splits as Robinson did, adding a 4-under 68 to his opening-round 74.

   Rounding out the quintet tied for ninth place were Dartmouth’s Mark Turner, a senior from Gloucester, Mass., and Niagara’s Owen Gauder, a freshman from Canada. Turner matched par in the opening round with a 72 before closing with a 2-under 70. Gauder was just a shot out of the lead following an opening round of 3-under 69 before adding a 73 in Monday’s second round.

   Backing up McGrath for Temple was senior Dawson Anders, a former scholastic standout at Souderton who had a pair of 72s for an even-par 144 that left him among the group tied for 17^th place.

   Freshman Joey Morganti, one of the Catholic League’s top players during his scholastic career at St. Joseph’s Prep, and Graham Chase, a sophomore from Charlotte, N.C., landed among the group tied for 23^rd place at 2-over 146 for the Owls. Morganti matched par in the second round with a 72 after opening with a 74 while Chase added a 75 to his solid opening round of 1-under 71.

   Rounding out the Temple lineup was Ethan Whitney, a freshman Westminster, Mass. who bounced back from an opening-round 82 with a solid 1-over 73 that left him among the group tied for 64^th place with a 155 total.

   Temple head coach Brian Quinn brought along two players who competed as individuals. Junior Buddy Hansen, another former Catholic League standout at La Salle, added a 75 to his opening-round 74 to finish among the group tied for 38^th place with a 5-over 149 total. Sophomore Andrew Curran, the Bert Linton Memorial Inter-Ac League individual champion as a senior at Malvern Prep in 2018, finished in a tie for 75^th place at 158 after posting a pair of 79s.

   Saint Joseph’s top three finishers, graduate student Wills Montgomery, a former Downingtown East standout, senior J.T. Spina, a two-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier at Pope John Paul II, and Hunter Holson, a junior from Libertyville, Ill., all landed in the group tied for 23^rd place at 2-over 146. Montgomery opened by matching par with a 72 before adding a 74 in Monday’s second round while Spina and Holson had identical splits, each matching par in the second round with a 72 after opening with a 74.

   Sophomore Kevin Smith, who led Strath Haven to the first District One Class AAA team crown in program history in 2019, added a 2-over 74 to his opening-round 75 to finish among the group tied for 38^th place at 5-over 149. Got a chance to chat with Smith a little during the second round of the District One Championship Tuesday at Turtle Creek Golf Club as he was out supporting his sister, Strath Haven senior Grace Smith.

   Rounding out the St. Joe’s lineup was James Gorman, a sophomore from Greenville, S.C. who added a 76 to his opening-round 74 to finish among the group tied for 44^th place at 6-over 150.

   Leading the way for La Salle was junior Nikita Romanov, who starred scholastically at Mount Pleasant outside of Wilmington, Del. He matched par in Monday’s second round with a 72 after opening with a 76 to finish among the group tied for 34^th place at 4-over 148.

   Matthew Werner, a senior from West Linn, Ore., and Kristian Fortis, a junior from Key Largo, Fla., landed in the group tied for 44^th place at 6-over 150 for the Explorers. Werner matched par with a 72 in the opening round before adding a 78 in Monday’s second round while Fortis registered a pair of 75s.

   Werner teamed with La Salle teammate Parker Wine, who starred scholastically at Unionville, to earn a spot in next spring’s U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship at the Country Club of Birmingham in a recent GAP-administered qualifier at Radley Run Country Club.

   Junior Karsen Rush, who starred scholastically at Chambersburg, shaved four shots off his opening-round 79 with a 75 in Monday’s second round to finish among the group tied for 61^st place at 10-over 154.

   Rounding out the La Salle lineup was redshirt freshman Matt LaFond, a Catholic League champion during his scholastic career at La Salle who added a 78 to his opening-round 81 to finish in a tie for 77^th place with a 159 total.

   Freshman Alex Gekas competed as an individual for La Salle and bounced back from an opening-round 86 with a solid 1-under 71 to finish among the group tied for 71^st place at 158.

   A couple of recent Inter-Ac standouts, senior Noah Schwartz, who starred at Penn Charter, and freshman Tyler Zimmer, who helped The Haverford School capture the Inter-Ac title in 2019, were in the lineup for Cornell’s top entry.

   Schwartz improved four shots from his opening-round 77 with a 1-over 73 that left him among the group tied for 44^th place with a 150 total. After struggling to a 79 in the opening round, Zimmer matched par in Monday’s second round with a 72 to finish among the group tied for 55^th place at 151.

   Freshman Jackson Debusschere, another key contributor on Strath Haven’s 2019 Central League and District One Class AAA championship team, played with Cornell’s B team, which finished in 12^th place, three shots behind La Salle with a 605 total. Debusschere added a 76 to his opening-round 74 to finish among the group tied for 44^th place with a 6-over 150 total

   Dartmouth freshman Charlie Baker, who played a key role on Haverford School’s three straight Inter-Ac championship teams in 2017, ’18 and ’19, added a 79 to his opening-round 75 to finish in the group tied for 61^st place at 154.