Whitney captures individual title, leads Temple to team crown in Cornell/Temple Fall Invitational

    Behind individual champion Ethan Whitney, a sophomore from Westminster, Mass., Temple earned a three-shot victory in the Cornell/Temple Fall Invitational, which wrapped up Sunday at the Owls’ home course, The 1912 Club in Plymouth Meeting.

   Whitney added a solid 1-under-par 69 in Sunday’s final round to the sparkling 4-under 66 he opened with Saturday over the 6,951-yard, par-70 1912 Club layout for a 5-under 135 total that left him three shots clear of the field as the teams enjoyed two spectacular days of late-summer weather.

   There were 15 teams in the field with co-hosts Temple, which plays out of the American Athletic Conference, and Ivy League representative Cornell as well as Penn, Cornell’s Ivy rival, each fielding a B team as coaches got a chance to evaluate as many players as possible in the early stages of the wraparound 2022-2023 season.

   Temple opened with a solid 1-under 279, which left it five shots behind Rhode Island, an Atlantic 10 representative. The Owls added a 2-over 282 in Sunday’s final round for a 1-over 561 total. The Rams fell back a little with a 10-over 290 in Sunday’s final round that left them three shots behind Temple in second place with a 4-over 564 total.

   Rhode Island was led by individual runnerup Brandon Gillis, a fifth-year player from Nashua, N.H. who matched Whitney’s opening-round 66 before cooling off with a 2-over 72 in Sunday’s second round to finish three shots behind Whitney with a 2-under 138 total.

   Three Ivy League teams accounted for the next three spots in the team standings, led by Penn, which added a 293 in Sunday’s second round to its solid opening round of 4-over 284 that as the Quakers finished in third place, 13 shots behind Rhode Island with a 17-over 577 total.

   Columbia was a shot behind Penn in fourth place with an 18-over 578 total as the Lions added a 292 in Sunday’s second round to their opening round of 6-over 286.

  Tournament co-host Cornell was five shots behind Columbia in fifth place with a 23-over 583 total as the Big Red added a 296 in Sunday’s second round to their opening round of 7-over 287.

   Temple displayed its depth as its B team finished a shot behind Cornell in sixth place with a 24-over 584 total as the Owls’ second string added a solid 9-over 289 in Sunday’s second round to its opening round of 295.

   Temple’s B team was led by junior Andrew Curran, who capped an outstanding scholastic career at Malvern Prep with a victory in the Bert Linton Inter-Ac League individual championship as a senior in 2018.

   Curran matched par in Sunday’s second round with a 70 after opening with a 72 as he finished among a trio of players tied for ninth place at 2-over 142. Curran was the fourth Temple player to finish inside the top 10 in the individual standings and made a strong bid for inclusion among the first five for the Owls in their next start.

   Penn’s B team finished in 11^th place with a 598 total as the second string for the Quakers added a 302 in Sunday’s second round to its opening-round 286.

   It was the season opener for Saint Joseph’s, another Atlantic 10 entry, and the Hawks finished three shots behind Penn’s B team in 12^th place with a 601 total. St. Joe’s added a 301 in Sunday’s second round to its opening-round 300.

   Backing up Whitney for Temple were co-captains Conor McGrath, a fifth-year player who was the 2021 BMW Philadelphia Amateur champion, and Graham Chase, a junior from Charlotte, N.C., as they were part of a foursome of players tied for fifth place with 1-over 141 totals.

   McGrath, a product of the junior program at Huntingdon Valley Country Club, matched par in Sunday’s second round with a 70 while Chase opened with a solid 1-under 69 before adding a 72 in Sunday’s second round.

   The Owls got a solid effort from sophomore Joey Morganti, a Havertown resident who starred scholastically at St. Joseph’s Prep, as Morganti finished among the group tied for 17^th place with a 4-over 144 total. Morganti finished up with a 1-over 71 in Sunday’s final round after opening with a 73.

   Rounding out the starting lineup for Temple was Jake Naese, a sophomore from Bradenton, Fla. who finished in the group tied for 39^th place with a 9-over 149 total. Naese added a 75 in Sunday’s final round to an opening round of 4-over 74.

   Canisius’ Ryan Edholm, a sophomore from Tonawanda, N.Y., was the only other player besides Whitney and Gillis to finish under par for two days at The 1912 Club as he added a 1-over 71 in Sunday’s second round to his solid opening round of 2-under 68 as he finished in third place in the individual chase with a 1-under 139 total.

   Cornell’s Samuel King, a senior from Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., matched par in both rounds with a pair of 70s as he finished alone in fourth place with an even-par 140 total.

   Joining Temple’s McGrath and Chase in the quartet tied for fifth place at 1-over 141 were a couple of Rhode Island players, redshirt freshman Chuck Tragresser, the runnerup in the 2020 PIAA Class AAA Championship as a senior at Franklin Regional, and Bryson Richards, a senior from Plainfield, Vt.

   Tragresser opened with a solid 2-under 68 before finishing up with a 3-over 73. After matching par in the opening round with a 70, Richards added a 1-over 71 in Sunday’s second round.

   Joining Temple’s Curran in the trio tied for ninth place at 2-over 142 were Columbia’s Nathan Han, a junior from Somers, N.Y., and Bucknell’s Blake Wisdom, a senior from Lake Geneva, Wis.

   Han bounced back from an opening-round 76 with a 1-over 71 in Sunday’s second round. Wisdom was just a shot out of the lead after opening with a 3-under 67 before backing off in Sunday’s second round with a 5-over 75.

   Penn’s top team was led by Mark Haghani, a senior from Wilson, Wyo., and John Richardson, a sophomore from England, both of whom landed in the group tied for 12^th place at 3-over 143. After matching par in the opening round with a 70, Haghani added a 3-over 73 in Sunday’s second round. Richardson added a 72 in Sunday’s second round to his opening round of 1-over 71.

   Ben Scott, a sophomore from Manhattan Beach, Calif., added a 3-over 73 in Sunday’s second round to his opening-round 74 to finish among the group tied for 27^th place with a 7-over 147 total. Jimin Jung, a junior from Briarcliff Manor, N.Y. was a shot behind Scott in the group tied for 33^rd place with an 8-over 148 total as he added a 75 in Sunday’s second round to his opening round of 3-over 73.

   Rounding out the lineup for Penn’s top team was Harrison Ornstein, a senior from Naples, Fla. who finished among the group tied for 39^th place with a 9-over 149 total as cooled off with a 79 in Sunday’s second round after matching par in the opening round with a 70.

   Backing up Curran for Temple’s B team was sophomore Greg Hanna, who was a scholastic standout at Bishop Shanahan. Hanna carded a pair of 2-over  72s that left him in the group tied for 17^th place at 4-over 144.

   Andres Aranguren, a redshirt sophomore from Puerto Rico, bounced back from an opening-round 78 by matching par in Sunday’s second round with a 70 as he finished among the group tied for 33^rd place with an 8-over 148.

   Freshman Darren Nolan, a scholastic standout at La Salle, finished in the group tied for 47^th place at 150 as opened with a solid 3-over 73 before cooling off with a 77 in Sunday’s second round.

   Rounding out the lineup for Temple’s B team was Danny Nguyen, a junior from Vietnam who finished in a tie for 73^rd place at 156 after adding a 7-over 77 in Sunday’s second round to his opening-round 79.

   Leading the way for Penn’s B team was Anthony Basilio, a senior from Knoxville, Tenn. who finished in a tie for 23^rd place with a 5-over 145 total. Basilio opened with a 2-over 72 before finishing up with a 73 in Sunday’s second round.

   Andy Fan, a senior from Scarsdale, N.Y., opened with a solid 3-over 73 before backing off with a 77 in Sunday’s second round to land in the group tied for 47^th place with a 150 total.

   George Roessler, a sophomore from North Palm Beach, Fla., was a shot behind Fan in the group tied for 53^rd place with a 151 total as he added a 4-over 74 in Sunday’s second round to his opening-round 77. Steven Lee, a freshman from Scarsdale, N.Y., was a shot behind Roessler in a tie for 61^st place at 152 as he struggled to a 78 in Sunday’s second round after opening with a 4-over 74.

   Rounding out the lineup for Penn’s B team was Simon Markowitz, a senior from New York City who finished in 80^th place with a 167 total after improving off an opening-round 88 with a 79 in Sunday’s final round.

   Leading the way for Saint Joseph’s was junior Kevin Smith, who led Strath Haven to Central League and District One Class AAA team crowns as a senior in 2019. Smith added a 74 in Sunday’s final round to his opening round of 3-over 73 to finish in the group tied for 27^th place with a 7-over 147 total.

   Jake Avery, a senior from Avon, Conn., finished in the group tied for 53^rd place with a 151 total for the Hawks as he added a 5-over 75 in Sunday’s final round to his opening-round 76.

   Matt Zerfass, a three-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier at Emmaus, finished in a tie for 61^st place with a 152 total in his St. Joe’s debut as he added a solid 4-over 74 in Sunday’s final round to his opening-round 78.

   Rounding out the St. Joe’s lineup were graduate student J.T. Spina, a two-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier at Pope John Paul II, and Ryan Gorman, a junior from Greenville, S.C., both of whom landed in the group tied for 69^th place at 154. Spina struggled to a 79 in Sunday’s final round after opening with a 5-over 75 while Gorman added a 78 in Sunday’s final round to his opening round of 6-over 76.

   Another freshman made his college debut for the Hawks at The 1912 Club as Christian Matt, a two-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier at Wissahickon, competed as an individual. Matt closed with a 4-over 74 in Sunday’s final round after opening with a 76 as he finished among the group tied for 47^th place with a 150 total.

   The Cornell lineup included a couple of former scholastic standouts from the Philadelphia area.

   Senor Noah Schwartz, a Cherry Hill, N.J. resident who starred at Penn Charter, added a 4-over 74 in Sunday’s final round to his opening-round 77 for a 151 total that left him in the group tied for 53^rd place.

   Sophomore Jackson Debusschere, Smith’s teammate on Strath Haven’s 2019 District One Class AAA championship team, recorded a pair of 77s at The 1912 Club to finish among the group tied for 69^th place with a 154 total.

   The top individual finisher for Cornell’s B team, which finished in a tie for 14^th place with a 614 total, was sophomore Tyler Zimmer, who helped The Haverford School capture the Inter-Ac League crown in 2019. Zimmer added a 3-over 73 in Sunday’s final round to his opening-round 74 to finish in the group tied for 27^th place with a 7-over 147 total.