Princeton held on to capture its first title since 2013 as
the Tigers prevailed in a tight three-way race with Columbia and defending
champion Yale when the Ivy League Championship wrapped up Sunday at Hidden
Creek Golf Club in Egg Harbor Township, N.J.
The Tigers had grabbed the lead with an opening round of
4-over-par 288 over the 7,003-yard, par-71 Hidden Creek layout and still held a
two-shot advantage over Yale going into Sunday’s final round.
Behind a 1-over 72 from Evan Quinn, a junior from
Morristown, N.J., Princeton carded a solid 7-over 291 in the final round to
edge hard-charging Columbia by a shot and Yale by two shots. The Tigers earned
the Ivy League’s automatic bid to the NCAA regionals. The regional fields will
be unveiled on The Golf Channel May 1.
Quinn had opened with a 3-under 68 Friday before struggling
to a 6-over 77 in Saturday’s second round. None of the websites makes mention
of Saturday’s weather, but I’m pretty sure the rain held on for a long time at
the Jersey Shore and the scores seem to indicate that the conditions were not
the best.
Quinn’s even-par effort in the final round left him alone in
second place behind individual champion James Nicholas, Yale’s senior captain
from Scarsdale, N.Y. who also closed with an even-par 72 for a 2-over 215
total. Nicholas shared medalist honors with teammate Eoin Leonard of England a
year ago when the Bulldogs captured the Ivy League title at Stonewall’s OId
Course.
Columbia, behind a stunning 5-under 66 from Arjun Puri, a
sophomore from India, closed with the best team round of the weekend, a 1-under
283, that left the Lions just a shot behind Princeton at 24-over 876.
Puri had posted respective rounds of 81 and 75 Friday and
Saturday before erupting with the best individual round of the weekend that
vaulted him into the group tied for 15th at 9-over 222.
Yale, behind Nicholas’ championship effort, matched
Princeton’s final-round 291 to come up two shots shy of a repeat title at
25-over 877. The Bulldogs came to Hidden Creek on a real roll, having won the
team titles in the Princeton Invitational and their Yale Spring Invitational
last weekend.
Penn finished up with a 6-over 290 to earn a share of fourth
place with Dartmouth at 35-over 887, 10 shots behind Yale. The Big Green also
closed with a 6-over 290.
Harvard was another three shots behind Penn and Dartmouth in
sixth place at 38-over 890 after a final round of 8-over 292.
Backing up Quinn for Princeton was Sam Clayman, a sophomore
from Dallas who was one of three players tied for third at 5-over 218, a shot
behind Quinn. Clayman, who contributed a 2-under 69 to Princeton’s strong start
Friday, closed with a 2-over 73.
Max Ting, a freshman from Atherton, Calif., was part of
seven-man logjam tied for seventh at 7-over 220 after his final-round 75. Jake
Mayer, a sophomore from Scotch Plains, N.J., closed with a solid 2-over 73 to
finish in a tie for 22nd place at 225. Ting and Mayer each
contributed a 1-over 72 for Princeton in Saturday’s tough conditions.
Jack Roberts, a sophomore from Wellesley, Mass., rounded out
the Princeton lineup as he finished among the group tied for 26th at
227.
Roberts’ final round of 2-over 73 was a crucial counter for
the Tigers. His eagle on the par-5 17th turned out to be pretty big
in the final accounting.
Nicholas took control of the individual race with a 2-under
69 in Saturday’s tough conditions and closed with an even-par 72 to win his
second straight individual Ivy title at 2-over 215. It’s expected Nicholas will
receive an invitation to compete as an individual in an NCAA regional.
Sharing third with Princeton’s Clayman at 5-over 218 were
Nicholas’ teammate Teddy Zinsner, a sophomore from Alexandria, Va., and Penn’s
Mitchell Cornell, a sophomore from Incline Village, Nev.
Zinsner, who has been playing some really solid golf this
spring, closed with a 2-under 70. Cornell had matched par in the second round
with a 71 and closed with a 2-over 73.
Cornell was led by Jack Cen, a senior from China who
finished alone in sixth place at 6-over 219 after finishing up with a 2-over
73.
Penn got solid showings from its three seniors in their
final appearances in the Ivy League Championship.
Josh Goldenberg of Scarsdale, N.Y. and Zareh Kaloustian of
Sherman Oaks, Calif. finished in a tie for 13th place at 8-over 221.
Goldenberg carded a 2-under 70 in Saturday’s second round before closing with a
3-over 75. Kaloustian closed his Penn career with a 2-under 70 in Sunday’s
final round.
Carter Thompson of Tallahassee, Fla. closed with a solid
1-over 72 to finish in the group tied for 26th at 227. Thompson
started his career at Florida State, but proved to be a solid addition to the
roster for the Quakers.
Rounding out the Penn lineup was Brandon Wang, a sophomore
from Bradenton, Fla. who finished alone in 38th place at 238 after
sandwiching a second-round 80 with a pair of 79s.
Three freshmen out of the Inter-Ac League teed it up in the
Ivy League Championship and played pretty well in their debuts.
Harvard’s Brian Isztwan, a former Penn Charter standout who
made the American Junior Golf Association’s 2017 Transamerica Scholastic Junior
All-America team, finished in the group tied for 26th at 227. After
a shaky 80 in the opening round, Isztwan bounced back with a 1-over 72 Saturday
before closing with a 3-over 75.
Isztwan’s former Penn Charter teammate, Noah Schwartz,
playing for Cornell, finished in a tie for 32nd place at 234.
Schwartz opened with a 75 and added a 78 in Saturday’s second round before
closing with an 81.
Brown’s Cole Kemmerer, a junior on Episcopal Academy’s 2016
Inter-Ac League championship team, finished his freshman season with one of
only a handful of sub-70 rounds recorded over the weekend, a sparkling 2-under
69. It came on the heels of a pair of 83s in the first two rounds as he finished
among the group tied for 34th at 235.
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