Mother Nature did Drexel golf coach Ben Feld no favors as he scheduled the Dragon Match Play Invitational at his home course at Green Valley Country Club between Ridge and Germantown Pikes in Whitemarsh Township for Monday and Tuesday.
You’d think you’d be safe a week into April, but two teams from Drexel and six other teams were greeted Monday with temperatures in the 40s, wind and more than occasional drizzle for 36 holes of qualifying for match play.
Tuesday was dry, but no less challenging as temperatures maybe climbed to 50, but the four teams who played semifinal matches in the morning were buffeted by winds consistently in the 20 to 25 mph range that often gusted up to 40 mph. It was two days of golf in the most difficult conditions imaginable.
With the two teams from Drexel and Saint Joseph’s and La Salle, half of Philadelphia’s Big 5, in the field, there were a ton of local names involved, too many for this Philadelphia-based blogger to ignore. And just about everybody there knew that when it comes to golf in the Philadelphia area in April, you can expect the unexpected.
It was Rhode Island, representing the Atlantic 10 along with St. Joe’s and La Salle, that claimed the victory with a 3.5-1.5 victory in Tuesday afternoon’s final over Longwood, a Big South entry that has been enjoying a very good season.
The Rams and the Lancers were the two highest-ranked teams in the field at Nos. 146 and 147, respectively, in the Scoreboard, powered by clippd, rankings.
Rhode Island claimed a 3.5-1.5 victory over Saint Joseph’s in its morning semifinal while Longwood defeated Drexel by the same 3.5-1.5 margin in a rematch of last year’s Dragon Match Play final won by Drexel.
Rhode Island got the jump in the final with a couple of convincing wins over a couple of western Pennsylvania standouts in the Longwood lineup as Luke Stennett, a freshman from Portland, Conn., cruised to a 4 and 3 victory over Lancers senior Scott Jordan, a two-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier at Upper St. Clair, and Tyler Bruneau, a freshman from West Palm Beach, Fla., rolled to a 6 and 5 decision over freshman Hunter Swidzinski, the PIAA Class AAA champion as a senior at Butler in 2023.
Longwood got its lone full point from David LaFreniere, a sophomore from Canada, as he earned a 2 and 1 victory over Sean Magarian, a graduate student from Worcester, Mass.
Rhode Island got a third full point from Aidan O’Donovan, a junior from Somerville, Mass. as he cruised to a 5 and 4 victory over Nick Fleming, a graduate student from Cabins, W.Va.
The match between Rhode Island’s Josiah Tong, a sophomore from Canada, and Longwood’s Justin LaRue, a senior from South Chesterfield, Va., was called a half. They were probably still on the course when the outcome was decided and probably had had enough of the cold and wind by that point.
Rhode Island had captured the top seed in the match-play bracket as the Rams rallied from a tough start in the brutal conditions of Monday’s opening round, a 15-over 299 over the 6,744-yard, par-71 Green Valley layout in the opening round, with a fairly spectacular 9-under 275 in the afternoon for a 6-over 574 total.
That earned the Rams a semifinal matchup with Saint Joseph’s, which was the four seed after posting a 24-over 592 in Monday’s qualifying.
The lone full point for the Hawks was recorded by junior Christian Matt, a two-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier at Wissahickon who claimed a 2 and 1 decision over O’Donovan.
Bruneau earned a 4 and 2 victory over St. Joe’s sophomore Tyler Leyden, one of several products of Catholic League powerhouse La Salle in the field for the Dragon Match Play Invitational.
Stennett was a 4 and 2 winner over junior Keller Mulhern, the leading point-getter during the Inter-Ac League’s regular-season points race as a senior at Malvern Prep in 2021. Rhode Island’s final full point came from Tong as he captured a 4 and 3 verdict over sophomore Kevin Lafond, another La Salle product on the Hawks’ roster.
Leyden and Kevin Lafond were both in the field in the PIAA Class AAA Championship in the fall of 2022.
Senior Thomas Larkin, who was a scholastic standout at Cardinal O’Hara, was credited with a half-point as he halved his match with Rhode Island’s Magarian.
Longwood had finished nine shots behind Rhode Island in qualifying for match play with a 15-over 583 total as the Lancers added a solid 5-over 289 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round after opening with a 10-over 294.
That earned them the second seed and a semifinal matchup against host Drexel, the third seed and a Coastal Athletic Association entry. Longwood had beaten Drexel by seven shots a couple of weeks earlier to claim the title in the Golden Horseshoe Intercollegiate at the Golden Horseshoe Golf Club in Williamsburg, Va.
It was a hard-fought battle between the two evenly-matched opponents that wasn’t really decided until Longwood’s LaRue made a par on Green Valley’s finishing hole to pull out a 1-up decision over Drexel’s best player, graduate student Drue Nicholas, a St. Augustine Prep product from Egg Harbor Township, N.J.
Longwood’s western Pennsylvania connection, Jordan and Swidzinski, came up big as they accounted for the other two full points for the Lancers, Jordan pulling out a 2 and 1 decision over another Drexel veteran, Griffin Mitchell, a graduate student from New Albany, Ohio, and Swidzinski earning a 3 and 2 victory over junior Kevin Lydon, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier in 2021 as a senior at Central Bucks West.
Sophomore John Keba, who was a scholastic standout at Allentown Central Catholic, earned a full point for Drexel with a 2 and 1 verdict over LaFreniere.
Caleb Taylor, a junior from Woodbine, Md., was credited with a half-point for Drexel as his match with Longwood’s Fleming was probably still on the golf course when the Lancers clinched the overall victory.
Longwood is headed for Penn State, where the Lancers will tee it up in this weekend’s Rutherford Intercollegiate, their final tuneup before the Big South Championship convenes April 21 at the Fripp Island Golf & Beach Resort on Fripp Island, S.C.
Drexel had finished a shot behind Longwood in third place in Monday’s qualifying with a 16-over 584 total, the Dragons adding a 9-over 293 in the afternoon to their solid opening round of 7-over 291.
Drexel will tee it up in next week’s Mountaineer Invitational at the Pete Dye Golf Club in Bridgeport, W.Va., its final tuneup before the CAA Championship gets under way Easter Sunday at Union League National at the Jersey Shore.
Saint Joseph’s 592 total was eight shots behind Drexel in fourth place, but good enough to grab the final spot in the match-play semifinals. The Hawks opened with an 11-over 295 and added a 297 in the afternoon.
La Salle registered a pair of 298s to finish four shots behind St. Joe’s in fifth place with a 28-over 598 total.
Drexel’s B team finished in a tie for sixth place with St. Bonaventure, each landing on 32-over 600, four shots behind La Salle.
Drexel’s B team, behind qualifying medalist Brockton English, a junior from Shelby Township, Mich., bounced back from an opening-round 303 with a 13-over 297.
English took the wraparound 2023-2024 season off and has been slowly working himself back into form this season. He added a 1-under 70 in the afternoon to his opening-round 69 and was the only player to finish under par in Monday’s brutal conditions with a borderline brilliant 3-under 139 total.
The Bonnies had the opposite splits from Drexel’s B team, adding a 303 in the afternoon to their opening round of 13-over 297.
The three A-10 teams in the Dragon Match Play Invitational will all be in action this weekend as La Salle is already under way in the Stitch Intercollegiate, which wraps up Saturday at the Lonnie Poole Golf Course in Raleigh, N.C., St. Bonaventure will join Longwood at Penn State for the Rutherford Intercollegiate and Saint Joseph’s will tee it up in the Princeton Invitational at Springdale Golf Club.
That will be the final tuneup for all three teams before the Atlantic 10 Championship tees off April 22 at the Evermore Orlando Resort’s Cypress Course in Orlando, Fla.
Rounding out the field for the Dragon Match Play Invitational was Monmouth, which finished two shots behind Drexel’s B team and St. Bonaventure in eighth place with a 34-over 602 total.
The Hawks, one of Drexel’s CAA rivals, opened with a 305 before adding a 297 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round at Green Valley.
Leading the way for Rhode Island in a miserable Monday’s double round of qualifying was O’Donovan, as he added a 1-over 70 in the afternoon to his opening round of 1-over 72 to get a share of second place with Drexel’s Mitchell at even-par 142, three shots behind English, the medalist.
Backing up O’Donovan for Rhode Island was Tong, who contributed a sparkling 2-under 69 to the Rams’ second-round surge after opening with a 4-over 75 as he finished in a tie for sixth place with Monmouth’s Luke Schaal, a sophomore from Canada, each landing on 2-over 144.
Stennett matched the best individual round of the day, a 3-under 68, in the afternoon as he gave Rhode Island three players in the top eight of the individual standings by finishing in a tie for eighth place with Longwood’s LaRue and La Salle’s Gavin Dosch, a sophomore from Draper, Utah, each ending up at 3-over 145. Stennett had opened with a 6-over 77.
Stennett’s teammate, Bruneau, matched his 3-under 68 in the afternoon after opening with an 80 as he finished among the trio tied for 15th place at 6-over 148.
Rounding out the Rhode Island lineup was Magarian as he posted a pair of 4-over 75s to finish among the trio tied for 20th place with an 8-over 150 total.
It was a strong showing for Drexel’s Mitchell in qualifying as he added a 1-under 70 in the afternoon to his opening round of 1-over 72 to join Rhode Island’s O’Donovan in a tie for second place at even-par, three shots behind English, the qualifying medalist.
Really nice showing in qualifying for St. Joe’s Mulhern, the former Malvern Prep standout. He added a 1-under 70 in the afternoon to his opening round of 2-over 73 to get a share of fourth place with Longwood’s Fleming at 1-over 143. Fleming had the same splits as Mulhern, adding a 1-under 70 in the afternoon to an opening round of 2-over 73.
Monmouth’s Schall also carded a 1-under 70 in the afternoon after opening with a 3-over 74 to join Rhode Island’s Tong in a tie for sixth place at 2-over.
La Salle’s Dosch added a 1-over 72 in the afternoon to his opening round of 2-over 73 to join Rhode Island’s Stennett and Longwood’s LaRue in a tie for eighth place at 3-over. LaRue had the same splits as Dosch, adding a 1-over 72 in the afternoon to his opening round of 2-over 73.
Longwood’s Jordan, the Upper St. Clair product, finished among the group tied for 11th place at 5-over 147 as he added a 3-over 74 in the afternoon to his solid opening round of 2-over 73.
The other half of Longwood’s western Pennsylvania connection, Swidzinski, Butler’s state champion, finished in the group tied for 24th place with a 152 total as he bounced back from an opening-round 79 with a 2-over 73 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round.
Backing up Mitchell for Drexel were Lydon and Taylor as they both landed among the group tied for 11th place at 5-over 147. Lydon added a 2-over 73 in the afternoon to his opening-round 74 while Taylor had the opposite splits, opening with a 2-over 73 before closing with a 74.
Nicholas opened with a solid 1-over 72, but struggled a little in the afternoon with a 6-over 77 to finish in a tie for 18th place at 7-over 147 for the Dragons.
Rounding out the Drexel lineup was Keba as he recorded a pair of 5-over 76s to finish in the group tied for 24th place with a 10-over 152 total.
Backing up English for Drexel’s B team was a solid showing from redshirt freshman Matthew Normand, a Rancocas Valley High product who frequently appeared on leaderboards on the Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour.
Normand matched par in the afternoon of Monday’s double round with a 71 after opening with a 3-over 74 to get a share of 18th place with Nicholas at 7-over 149.
Freshman John Stevenson, another of the former scholastic standouts at La Salle in the field, opened with a 4-over 75 and added a 6-over 77 in the afternoon to finish among the group tied for 24th place with a 152 total.
Stevenson was a back-to-back winner of two of the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s major championships for juniors, the Junior Boys’ Championship and the Christman Cup, the last two summers.
Graduate student Andrew Wallace, a two-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier at Harriton who was playing on his home course at Green Valley, added an 80 in the afternoon to his opening-round 81 to finish in 40th place with a 161 total.
Rounding out the Drexel B team was redshirt freshman Nathan Guertler, like his pal Normand, a South Jersey scholastic standout at Haddon Heights. Guertler struggled in the opening round with an 86 before bouncing back with a 79 in the afternoon for a 165 total that left him in 42nd place.
Backing up Mulhern for Saint Joseph’s was Matt, the Wissahickon product who carded a solid 2-over 73 in the afternoon after opening with a 74 as he finished just outside the top 10 in a tie for 11th place with a 5-over 147 total.
Matt has been the Hawks’ best player this spring and was coming off a tie for 15th place in the Golden Horseshoe Intercollegiate in Williamsburg, Va.
Larkin, the Cardinal O’Hara product, and Leyden, the former La Salle standout, finished among the group tied for 24th place at 10-over 152. They had identical splits, each opening with a 3-over 74 and adding a 78 in the afternoon.
Rounding out the Saint Joseph’s lineup was sophomore Kevin Lafond, another product of the powerful La Salle program, as he added a 5-over 76 in the afternoon to his opening-round 77 to finish among the trio tied for 32nd place at 153.
Leyden, Kevin Lafond and Drexel’s Stevenson were all members of the La Salle team that finished in fourth place in the PIAA Class AAA team chase in 2022.
Backing up Dosch for La Salle were Benjamin Battye, a junior from Torrance, Calif., and Armand Loscalzo, a junior from Tampa, Fla., as they joined Rhode Island’s Magarian in a tie for 20th place at 8-over 150.
Battye added a 3-over 74 in the afternoon to his opening-round 76 while Loscalzo opened with a solid 2-over 73 before adding a 77 in the afternoon
Senior Alex Gekas, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier in 2019 as a junior at Central York, finished among the group tied for 24th place with a 152 total as he signed for a pair of 5-over 76s.
Rounding out the La Salle lineup was senior Matt Lafond, another product of the La Salle College High School program, as he struggled in the opening round with an 84 and bounced back in the afternoon with a 76 to finish in 39th place with a 160 total.
Matt Lafond was a member of the La Salle team that finished in third place in the PIAA Class AAA team chase in 2019.
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