Yale, getting a 1-2 finish in the individual standings from
Paul Stankey, a sophomore from Wayzata, Minn., and Teddy Zinsner, a sophomore
from Alexandria, Va., capped a strong weekend showing in the Princeton
Invitational Sunday at Springdale Golf Club by successfully defending its team
title by 14 shots.
The performance by the Bulldogs overshadowed a couple of
really strong showings for their Ivy League rival Penn and Temple, which
finished second and third, respectively.
Yale had opened up a seven-shot lead over the Quakers with
rounds of 5-under-par 279 and 14-under 270 in Saturday’s double-round. The
Bulldogs’ final round of 4-under 280 over the 6,415-yard, par-71 Springdale
layout Sunday enabled them to finish with a 23-under 829 total in what, I’m
guessing, was the nicest two days of weather the Princeton Invitational has
seen in a while.
Penn closed with a 3-over 287, but held onto second place
with a solid 9-under 843 total. Temple matched the low team round of the day
with a 5-under 279 that gave the Owls a program-record 5-under 847 total and a
solid third-place finish, four shots behind the Quakers.
Seton Hall matched Temple’s 5-under 279 in Sunday’s final
round and was another three shots behind the Owls in fourth place with a
2-under 850 total. Loyola of Maryland, behind a strong tie for third by
sophomore Evan Brown, who starred scholastically at Kennett, was a shot behind
Seton Hall in fifth at 1-under 851 after a final round of 1-over 285.
A third City 6 program, Saint Joseph’s, teed it up in the
Princeton Invitational and finished 10th in the 13-team field with a
24-over 876 total after a final round of 10-over 294. The Hawks had a solid
even-par 284 in Saturday afternoon’s second round.
Stankey and Zinsner entered the final round tied, along with
Princeton’s Jake Mayer, a sophomore from Scotch Plains, N.J., for the
individual lead at 8-under 134. Stankey carded a solid 4-under 68 Sunday to
claim individual medalist honors at 11-under 202. Zinsner wasn’t bad, posting a
2-under 70 to finish alone in second at 9-under 204.
Backing up the top two for Yale was James Nicholas, a senior
from Scarsdale, N.Y. who matched Stankey’s final round of 4-under 68 to finish
alone in sixth at 6-under 207.
Eoin Leonard, a senior from England, had the final counter
for Yale, a 3-over 74 that left him among the group tied for 28th at
4-over 217. Nicholas and Leonard were the co-medalists in the Ivy League
Championship a year ago at the Old Course at Stonewall as they led Yale to the
conference championship.
The Bulldogs’ performance this weekend would seem to
indicate that they have designs on repeating that feat when the Ivy League
Championship tees off April 19 at Hidden Creek Golf Club in Egg Harbor
Township, N.J.
First, they’ll play host for the Yale Spring Invitational
this weekend on The Course at Yale, one of the best campus courses in America,
a classic design by Seth Raynor with some help from his mentor, C.B. Macdonald.
It’s one of those courses that makes you a better player just by playing it.
Rounding out the lineup for Yale in the Princeton
Invitational was Sean Yi, a sophomore from Auburn, Wash. who finished in the
group tied for 69th at 228 after a final-round 79.
Loyola of Maryland’s Brown, coming off a third-place finish
in the Golden Horseshoe Invitational in Williamsburg, Va. a couple of weeks
ago, capped a solid weekend at Springdale with a 2-under 70 Sunday to get a
piece of third place with an 8-under 205 total.
Joining him at that figure were Princeton’s Mayer, who
competed as an individual, and Penn’s Mitchell Cornell, a sophomore from
Incline Village, Nev. Mayer, after sharing the top spot after two rounds,
cooled off a little as he matched par in the final round with a 71.
Cornell posted a final round of 2-under 70 as he led the way
for Penn by getting a piece of third place in the individual standings.
Georgetown’s Harden Councill, a junior from High Point,
N.C., fired a 4-under 68 in Sunday’s final round to finish alone in seventh, a
shot behind Yale’s Nicholas at 5-under 208.
Temple senior Gary McCabe, a Collegeville resident who was a
scholastic standout at La Salle, led the way for the Owls as he posted a final
round of 2-under 70 to share eighth place with Penn’s Carter Thompson, a senior
from Tallahassee, Fla., and Councill’s Georgetown teammate, Eduardo Blochtein,
a junior from Delray Beach, Fla.
Thompson’s 4-under 68 was the low round of the day Sunday for
Penn as he gave the Quakers a second finisher inside the top 10. Blochtein
matched par in the final round with a 71.
Backing up Cornell and Thompson for Penn was Josh
Goldenberg, a senior from Scarsdale, N.Y. who struggled a little in the final
round with a 4-over 75 to finish in the group tied for 18th at
1-over 214.
Brandon Wang, a sophomore from Bradenton, Fla., carded a
final round of 3-over 74 to finish among the group tied for 34th at
5-over 218. Rounding out the Penn lineup was Zareh Kaloustian, a senior from
Sherman Oaks, Calif. who finished among the group tied for 52nd. His
final-round 79 was a throwout, but Kaloustian contributed a 2-under 69 to
Penn’s strong 9-under 275 in Saturday’s second round.
The best round of the day, a 4-under 67, belonged to
Temple’s John Barone, a redshirt senior from Dunmore. That enabled him to climb
into a tie for 11th with a 3-under 210 total. Trey Wren, a senior
from Suffolk, Va., capped a solid weekend with a 2-over 73 that left him among
the group tied for 16th at even-par 213.
Redshirt junior Erik Reisner, a two-time Central League
champion at Harriton, also saved his best for last, a sparkling 2-under 69 that
left him in the group tied for 42nd at 7-over 220. Rounding out the
Temple lineup was freshman Conor McGrath, an Academy of the New Church product
who joined Reisner in the group tied for 46th at 220. McGrath was
solid all weekend, finishing up with a 3-over 74.
It was a pretty good weekend for senior Sam Soeth, who I’ve
been covering since he was appearing on Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour
leaderboards before he got to Marple Newtown. Soeth, competing as an
individual, struggled in the opening round with a 77, but fired a 3-under 68 in
Saturday afternoon’s second round and closed with a 3-over 74 to finish among
the group tied for 40th at 6-over 219.
Brian Quinn’s Owls will play in the Explorer Invitational, a
one-day event April 15 at LuLu Country Club. This weekend should give them a
little momentum heading to The American Championship, which opens April 21,
Easter Sunday, at the Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor, Fla.
Saint Joseph’s was led by Michael O’Brien, a junior from West
Chester, Ohio who matched par in the final round to finish among the group tied
for 18th at 1-over 214.
Sophomore Wills Montgomery, who starred scholastically at
Downingtown East, and junior Richard Riva, a Lancaster Catholic product, both
landed in the group tied for 28th at 4-over 217. Montgomery, who has
really had a strong spring, was the medalist for the day for the Hawks with a
1-under 70 in Sunday’s final round. Riva closed with a 2-over 73.
Senior Ross Pilliod, who was a Berks Catholic standout, struggled
in the final round with an 80 to finish in the group tied for 69th
at 228. Rounding out the St. Joe’s lineup was junior Reed Winkler, a Salesianum
product, closed with an 82 to finish 75th at 239.
Harvard, which closed with its best round of the weekend, a
1-over 285 that left the Crimson in ninth place at 12-over 864, was led by
freshman Brian Isztwan, the best player in the Inter-Ac League his final two seasons at Penn Charter. Isztwan
closed with a 2-over 73 Sunday to finish among the group tied for 16th
at even-par 213.
One of Isztwan’s old Inter-Ac rivals, Brown freshman Cole
Kemmerer, who helped Episcopal Academy win its first Inter-Ac title since 1999
during his junior year in 2016, finished alone in 68th place at 227
after a final round of 76. The Bruins finished 12th with a 26-over
878 total.
Rider sophomore Griffin Smith, a former Council Rock South
standout, fell back a little with a 7-over 78 Sunday after posting a pair of
solid 1-under 70s in Saturday’s double-round and finished among the group tied
for 34th at 5-over 218. The Broncs finished last in the field of 13
with a 33-over 885 total.
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