Butler helps Villanova finish ninth in Turning Stone Tiger Invitational

   In keeping with his decision to play some tougher competition, particularly during the fall portion of the schedule, Villanova coach James Wilkes sent his Wildcats out to open their 2017-2018 schedule over the Labor Day weekend in the Turning Stone Tiger Invitational in Verona, N.Y.

   While Missouri proved to be something of an inhospitable host, winning the team title by a ridiculous 50 shots, the Wildcats finished ninth of the 15 teams in the field with a 935 total.    Apparently, Sunday’s morning round featured some difficult conditions and Villanova, and just about every other team with the exception of Missouri, struggled, the Wildcats posting a 322 total.

   The Wildcats added a 304 Sunday afternoon before winding up on Labor Day with a 309.

   Villanova was led by Andy Butler, a senior who was a scholastic standout at Manheim Township. Butler seems to be at his best on the tougher courses and he finished tied for 12^th with a 9-over-par total of 225 over the challenging 6,882-yard, par-71 Kaluhyat Course at the Turning Stone Resort. He opened with a 79 and added a pair of 1-over 73s.

   Connor Daly, a sophomore from Bronxville, N.Y. coming off a solid freshman season, finished tied for 28^th at 232, bouncing back from an opening-round 81 with a 2-over 74 Sunday afternoon and winding up with a 77 Monday.

   Matt Barnes, a freshman from Bethesda, Md., had a solid collegiate debut, finishing tied for 52^nd at 242. Zach Egermayer, a senior from Glen Rock, N.Y.,  bounced back impressively from a disastrous opening-round 96 with rounds of 78 and 76 to  finish 69^th at 250. Will Byrne, a senior from McLean, Va., finished tied for 70^th at 252.

   Missouri, out of powerful Southeast Conference, rolled to the team title with its top five all finishing among the top five in the individual standings. The Tigers matched par with an opening-round 288 while no other team came anywhere near breaking 300 in the difficult conditions. Missouri then added a 12-under 276 in the second round and a final round of 8-under 280 for a 20-under 844 total that gave it a sixth straight team crown in the Tiger Invitational.

   North Carolina-Wilmington was the best of the rest with a 30-over 894 total after finishing up with a 2-over 290. Boston College, out of the Atlantic Coast Conference, finished third at 44-over 908 after a final-round 297, St. Peter’s was fourth at 915 after a final-round 299 and Cleveland State was fifth at 923 after a  final-round 298.

   Missouri’s Hayden Buckley, a senior from Beldon, Miss., outdueled teammate Rory Franssen, a sophomore from Scotland, for the team title. Buckley’s 5-under 67 in the second round was one shot better than Franssen’s 4-under 68 and that proved to be the difference as they had matching even-par 72s in the opening round and 2-under 70s in the final round.

   Buckley finished at 7-under 209 while Franssen was a shot behind him at 6-under 210.

   The only non-Mizzou player in the top five was UNC-Wilmington’s Blake McShea, a sophomore from Zebulon, N.C. who fired a final-round 68 to get a share of third with the Tigers’ Matt Echelmeier, a junior from Columbia, Mo., at 1-under 215. Echelmeier had a final-round 71.

   Missouri’s Jamie Stewart, a freshman from Scotland, seemed to relish the rough weather Sunday morning as he was the only player in the field under par in the opening round with a 2-under 70. He added rounds of 72 and 74 to finish tied for fifth with teammate Jack Parker, a freshman from Columbia, Mo., at even-par 216. Parker finished strong in his collegiate debut, firing a final round of 3-under 69.

   Bucknell finished three shots behind Villanova in 10^th at 938. Sophomore Peter Bradbeer, fresh off his victory in the Patterson Cup, the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s final major of the season, at Wilmington Country Club’s South Course, finished tied for 41^st at 238. Bradbeer, a Merion Golf Club member and Friends’ Central School product, had rounds of 84, 76 and 78.

   The Bison were led by J.P. Rafferty, a junior from Greenwich, Conn. whose second round of 1-under 71 helped him finish 26^th at 230.

   Chris Tanabe, the PIAA Class AA champion at Quaker Valley as a senior last fall, made his collegiate debut for Bucknell, finishing tied for 66^th at 247. Tanabe finished strong with a 4-over 76 in Monday’s  final round.