Greyserman claims individual title, leads host Princeton to team crown in Princeton Invitational

 

   The weather wasn’t great, but host Princeton gained some momentum heading into the Ivy League Championship by claiming the team crown in the rain-shortened Princeton Invitational, which wrapped up Sunday at Springdale Golf Club in Princeton, N.J.

   Led by individual champion Reed Greyserman, a freshman from Boca Raton, Fla., the Tigers were the only team to finish under par with a 2-under-par 566 total over the 6,444-yard, par-71 Springdale layout.

   The original schedule called for 36 holes Saturday, but heavy overnight rains and lingering morning showers left Springdale unplayable early in the day. I’m sure it was a yeoman effort by the greenkeeping crew at Springdale just to get the course playable for one round in the afternoon.

   Still, with temperatures in the 40s and wind, it wasn’t great golf weather. It was warmer for Sunday’s second round, but gusty winds still made it a challenge.

   Nobody solved that challenge better than Greyserman, who opened with a 2-under 69 in the damp chill of Saturday and closed with a 3-under 68 for a 5-under 137 total that gave him a three-shot victory.

   Greyserman likely got a little inspiration from The Masters. I’m sure he was keeping half an eye on the coverage from the Augusta National Golf National Golf Club, where older brother Max made the cut on the number to play the weekend and finished in a tie for 32^nd place with a 1-over 289 total in what, I’m pretty sure, was Max Greyserman’s first Masters appearance.

   Max Greyserman starred scholastically at The Peddie School, not far from Princeton in Hightstown, N.J., and collegiately at Duke.

   Reed Greyserman helped Princeton, at No. 83 the highest-ranked team in the Scoreboard, powered by clippd, rankings in the field, get it around with a 5-over 289 in the miserable conditions of Saturday’s opening round that left them a shot behind Big Ten representative Rutgers going into Sunday’s final round.

   The Tigers then pulled away from the field with a sparkling 7-under 277, easily the best team round of the tournament, in Sunday’s final round to finish 13 shots clear of Rutgers and earn their third tournament title of the wraparound 2024-2025 season.

   Princeton claimed a pair of team crowns in the fall in the USF/Howard Invitational in September at Manor Country Club in Aspen Hills, Md. and in the Georgetown Invitational in October at Echo Lake Country Club in Westfield, N.J.

   Princeton and the rest of the Ivy League is headed to Springfield, Delaware County, where the conference championship will tee off April 25 at Rolling Green Golf Club, the William Flynn gem that played host to the 2016 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship.

   Princeton also got a strong showing from Riccardo Fantinelli, a junior from Italy who finished alone in fourth place with a 1-under 141 total. Fantinelli, a co-medalist in the Princeton Invitational a year ago, struggled in Saturday’s opening round with a 4-over 75, but finished with a flourish in the familiar surroundings of Springdale as he was the low Tiger in the final round with a sizzling 5-under 66.

   Fantinelli was the Ivy League’s individual champion as a freshman in 2023 at The Stanwich Club in Greenwich, Conn.

   Charlie Palmer, a sophomore from Paradise Valley, Ariz., gave Princeton a third finisher among the top six as he ended up in a group of five players who finished in a tie for sixth place at 1-over 143. Palmer matched par in Sunday’s final round with a 71 after opening with a 1-over 72.

   Another Princeton player, William Huang, a senior from Exeter, N.H. who was competing as an individual, also finished among the group at 1-over. Huang, the runnerup in the individual chase in last spring’s Ivy League Championship at Wachtung Valley Country Club in Wachtung, N.J., closed with a sparkling 3-under 68 after opening with a 4-over 75.

   Rutgers and Seton Hall made it an all-Jersey top three as the Red Knights were the runnerup with an 11-over 579 total and the Pirates were two shots behind Rutgers in third place with a 13-over 581 total.

   Rutgers opened with a solid 4-over 288 in Saturday’s brutal conditions that gave it a one-shot lead over Princeton, but the Red Knights closed with a 7-over 291 to finish 13 shots behind the Tigers.

   Rutgers was led by Weston Jones, a senior from Sudbury, Mass., and Bennett Espenshade, a, a freshman from Baltimore, Md., both of whom finished in the group tied for sixth place along with Princeton’s Palmer and Huang at 1-over 143.

   Jones matched par with a 71 in Sunday’s second round after opening with a 1-over 72 while Espenshade opened with a 1-under 70 before adding a 2-over 73 in Sunday’s final round.

   Seton Hall, out of the Big East, opened with a 6-over 290 and added a 7-over 291 in Sunday’s final round.

   The Pirates were led by David Lally, a junior from Ireland who finished in a tie for second place in the individual standings with Columbia’s Grant Lester, a freshman from Washington, D.C., each landing on 2-under 140 and ending up three shots behind Greyserman.

   Lally had the individual lead after opening with a fairly spectacular 4-under 67 in the cold and rain and wind Saturday before adding a 2-over 73 in Sunday’s final round.

   A couple of Princeton’s Ivy League rivals, Yale and Columbia, accounted for the next two spots on the team leaderboard, as the Bulldogs were a shot behind Seton Hall in fourth place with a 14-over 582 total and the Lions were another shot behind Yale in fifth place with a 15-over 583 total.

   Yale, which will defend its Ivy League crown next week at Rolling Green, was led by Will Lodge, a junior from Darien, Conn. who matched par in both rounds with back-to-back 71s to finish a shot behind Princeton’s Fantinelli in fourth place at even-par 142.

   Lester closed with a solid 3-under 68 after opening with a 1-over 72 to earn him a share of runnerup honors with Seton Hall’s Lally at 2-under and lead the way for Columbia.

   Georgetown, one of Seton Hall’s Big East rivals, was another shot behind Columbia in sixth place with a 16-over 584 total as the Hoyas added a 6-over 290 in Sunday’s final round to their opening-round 294.

   Georgetown was led by Barnes Blake, a sophomore from Westfield, N.J. who was the last of the five players who finished in a tie for sixth place at 1-over as he added a solid 1-under 70 in Sunday’s final round to his opening round of 2-over 73.

   Half of the Big 5’s six teams, Temple, Saint Joseph’s and Penn, were in the field for the Princeton Invitational and finished all in a row, the Owls, an American Athletic Conference representative, ending up in 10^th place with a 33-over 601 total, the Hawks, out of the Atlantic 10, in 11^th with a 38-over 606 total and the Quakers, another Ivy League entry, landing in 12^th in the 14-team field with a 42-over 610 total.

   Temple opened with a 7-over 291 in the difficult conditions of the opening round, but struggled in Sunday’s final round with a 310. Saint Joseph’s added a 300 in Sunday’s final round to its opening-round 306. Penn struggled in the opening round with a 311 before adding a 299 in Sunday’s final round.

   Backing up Princeton’s top three of Greyserman, Fantinelli and Palmer was Tommy Frist, a sophomore from Nashville, Tenn. who finished among the trio tied for 15^th place at 3-over 145. Frist added a 1-over 72 in Sunday’s final round to his opening-round 73.

   Rounding out the Princeton lineup was Eric Yun, a freshman from Menlo Park, Calif. who finished in the group tied for 55^th place with a 155 total. Yun added a 7-over 78 in Sunday’s final round to his opening-round 77.

   In addition to Huang, two other Tigers competed as individuals in their home event, Charlie Farrell, a sophomore from San Francisco, Calif. who finished among the trio tied for 59^th place at 156, and Nathan Drogin, a junior from Essex Falls, N.J. who ended up in 62^nd place with a 157 total.

   Farrell added a 5-over 76 in Sunday’s final round to his opening-round 80 while Drogin also opened with an 80 before adding a 6-over 77 in Sunday’s final round.

   Leading the way for Temple was Ethan Whitney, a senior from Westminster, Mass. who finished among the group tied for 11^th place with a 2-over 144 total.

   Backing up Whitney for the Owls was senior Joey Morganti, a St. Joseph’s Prep product from Havertown who finished in the group tied for 25^th place with a 6-over 148 total. Morganti opened with a solid 1-over 72 in the tough conditions of Saturday’s opening round before closing with a 5-over 76.

   Aidan Emmerich, a junior from Swampscott, Mass., finished in a tie for 36^th place with an 8-over 150 as he opened with a solid 2-over 73 before closing with a 6-over 77.

   Mason Tome, a freshman from West Palm Beach, Fla., finished in the group tied for 64^th  place with a 159 total as he struggled to an 83 in Sunday’s windswept second round after opening with a 5-over 76.

   Rounding out the Temple lineup was Jake Naese, a senior from Bradenton, Fla. who finished among the trio tied for 68^th place with a 160 total as he struggled to an 84 in Sunday’s final round after opening with a 5-over 76.

   Next up for the Owls is the AAC Championship, which tees off Monday at the Ritz-Carlton Members Club in Sarasota, Fla.

   Leading the way for Saint Joseph’s was freshman Aidan Farkas, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier as a senior at St. Joseph’s Prep in 2023 who finished among the group tied for 29^th place with a 7-over 149 total.

   Farkas, like Temple’s Morganti, a product of the junior program at Llanerch Country Club, closed with a 3-over 74 after opening with a 75.

   Senior Thomas Larkin, a scholastic standout at Cardinal O’Hara, and junior Christian Matt, a two-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier at Wissahickon, finished in a large group tied for 38^th place at 9-over 151 for the Hawks.

   After opening with a 3-over 74, Larkin added a 6-over 77 in Sunday’s final round. Matt opened with a 5-over 76 before closing with a 75.

   Sophomore Noah Moelter, who finished in a tie for sixth place in the 2022 PIAA Class AAA Championship as a senior at Central Bucks South, finished among the group tied for 55^th place with a 155 total. Moelter bounced back from an opening-round 81 with a 3-over 74 in Sunday’s final round.

   Rounding out the Saint Joseph’s lineup was junior Keller Mulhern, the Inter-Ac League’s top player during its six regular-season invitationals as a senior at Malvern Prep in 2021. Mulhern struggled with a pair of 82s at Springdale as he finished in a tie for 74^th place at 164.

   Next up for Saint Joseph’s is the A-10 Championship, which tees off Tuesday at the Evermore Orlando Resorts’ Cypress Course in Orlando, Fla.

    Leading the way for Penn was Hayden Adams, a sophomore from Lexington, Ky. who finished among the group tied for 25^th place with a 6-over 148 total. Adams closed with a solid 1-over 72 after opening with a 76.

   Backing up Adams for the Quakers was Ben Scott, a senior from Manhattan Beach, Calif. who finished a shot behind Adams in the group tied for 26^th place with a 7-over 149 total. Scott added a 3-over 74 in Sunday’s final round to his opening-round 75.

   Max Fonseca, a sophomore from Miami, Fla., finished among the group tied for 49^th place with a 154 total for Penn as he opened with a 5-over 76 before adding a 78 in Sunday’s final round.

   George Roessler, a senior from North Palm Beach, Fla., finished among a trio tied for 68^th place with a 160 total as he bounced back from an opening-round 85 with a 4-over 75 in Sunday’s final round.

   Rounding out the Penn lineup was Ryan Chung, a freshman from Brookline, Mass. who finished in 71^st place with a 162 total. After opening with an 84, Chung added a 7-over 78 in Sunday’s final round.

   It’ll be something of a home game for Penn with the Ivy League Championship at Rolling Green.

   Really nice showing at Springdale for Seton Hall sophomore Eli Shah, who had back-to-back top-10 finishes in the PIAA Class AAA Championship in his last two seasons at Penncrest in 2021 and 2022.

   Shah matched par in Sunday’s final round with a 71 after opening with a 3-over 74 as he finished in the group tied for 15^th place with a 3-over 145 total.

   The Debusschere brothers, Jackson, a senior, and Tyler, a sophomore, both of whom were scholastic standouts at Strath Haven, were in the lineup for Cornell, another Ivy League entry, in the Princeton Invitational.

   Jackson Debusschere, who helped Strath Haven capture the District One Class AAA team crown in 2019, recorded a pair of 79s to finish in 63^rd place with a 158 total.

   Tyler Debusschere, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier as a senior in 2022, finished a shot behind his older brother in the group tied for 64^th place with a 159 total. Tyler Debusschere opened with an 81 before adding a 7-over 78 in Sunday’s final round.

   Junior Weston Warden was another Pennsylvanian in the Cornell lineup and the former Shady Side Academy standout finished in a tie for 36^th place with an 8-over 150 total. Warden bounced back from an opening-round 79 with a solid 1-over 72 in Sunday’s final round.

   Cornell finished in 13^th place in the team standings with a 46-over 614 total.