Rhode Island, Boston College's Cavaliere the winners at Wildcat Fall Invitational

   Playing a little catch-up with Villanova golf …

   Rhode Island put on an impressive team performance and Boston College’s Christian Cavaliere, a senior from Katonah, N.Y., might have been an even more impressive individual winner as Villanova played host to  the Wildcat Fall Invitational, which wrapped up Tuesday at White Manor Country Club in Willistown Township.

   The Rams put up rounds of 5-under 279 and 4-under 280 in Monday’s double round over the 6,717-yard, par-71 White Manor layout and eased back on the throttle just a little with a final round of 2-over 286 for a 7-under 845 total that gave them a five-shot victory over Appalachian State.

   The Mountaineers put up a solid defense of the title they won a year ago as they kept the pressure on Rhode Island. Appalachian State opened with a 1-under 283 and added a 5-under 279 in Monday afternoon’s second round before posting a 4-over 288 in the final round for a 2-under 850 total. Appalachian State and Rhode Island were the only two teams to finish under par.

   The Atlantic Coast Conference’s Boston College, led by Cavaliere’s scorching of White Manor, finished third at 3-over 855. The Eagles shaved 10 shots off an opening-round 291 with a 3-under 281 in the second round before finishing up with a 1-under 283.

   Georgetown was just a shot behind Boston College in fourth place with a 4-over 856 total. The Hoyas mirrored Boston College’s opening day, bouncing back from an opening-round 291 with a 3-under 281 before matching par in the final round with a 284.

   Villanova, a Big East rival of Georgetown, finished 18 shots behind the Hoyas in fifth place at 22-over 874. The Wildcats opened with rounds of 4-over 288 and 5-over 289 in Monday’s double round, but struggled a little in a final-round 297.

   Delaware, the runnerup to Appalachian State in last year’s Wildcat Fall Invitational, finished four shots behind Villanova in sixth place in the seven-team field at 26-over 878. The Blue Hens got progressively better after struggling to an opening round of 300. They cut eight shots off that total with a 292 Monday afternoon before finishing up with a solid 2-over 286.

   Rhode Island was led by Chris Francoeur, a junior from Amesbury, Mass who finished in second place with a 7-under 206 total. That was nine shots behind Cavaliere, but Cavaliere seemed to be playing a different golf course than everybody else was.

   Francoeur, who won the individual title in Colgate’s Alex Lagowitz Annual Invitational earlier this season, opened with rounds of 2-under 69 and 1-under 70 in Monday’s double round before closing with a 4-under 67.

   Backing up Francoeur for the Rams was Brendan Gillis, a redshirt sophomore from Nashua, N.H. who finished in a tie for third place at 5-under 208, two shots behind his teammate. Gillis was actually within shouting distance of Cavaliere with rounds of 4-under 67 and 2-under 69 in Monday’s double round before closing with a 1-over 72.

   Bryson Richards, a freshman from Plainfield, Vt., landed among the group tied for 13^th place for Rhode Island. He sparked the Rams’ fast start with an opening round of 2-under 69 before backing off with a 1-over 72 and finishing up with a 75.

   Austin Fox, a sophomore from Delmar, N.Y., made it four Rams among the top 16 as he finished alone in 16^th place at 4-over 217. Fox opened and closed with 3-over 74s, but was the co-low man for Rhody with Gillis with a sparkling 2-under 69 in Monday afternoon’s second round.

   Rounding out the Rhode Island lineup was Jordan Avajcich, a junior from Mill Creek, Wash. who landed among the group tied for 33^rd at 225. Avajcich struggled to a pair of 76s in Monday’s double round, but his final round of 2-over 73 was a crucial counter for the Rams.

   Nobody was in the same zip code as Boston College’s Cavaliere in the individual chase. After opening with a 2-under 69, Cavaliere ripped off back-to-back 7-under 64s for a 16-under 197 total.

   There are a lot of big events played at White Manor, BMW Philadelphia Amateurs, Pennsylvania Amateurs, and Villanova’s spring and fall college tournaments, among others. Don’t get me wrong, good players can get it going at White Manor, especially in a given round. But Cavaliere just decimated a course that was playing a lot tougher for everybody else in the field.

   Joining Rhode Island’s Gillis in the tie for third at 5-under 208 was Appalachian State’s Jake Lane, a junior from Canada. Lane also was in the hunt for the individual title after posting rounds of 3-under 68 and 2-under 69 in Monday’s double round before matching par in the final round with a 71.

   Two of the four players in a tie for fifth place at 2-under 211 were from Delaware, freshman William Mirams, the PIAA Class AA champion as a senior at Notre Dame of East Stroudsburg last fall, and Robert Nieves, a sophomore from Miami, Fla.

   Mirams is not the biggest guy, but he can play. A runnerup in the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s Junior Boys’ Championship two summers ago, Mirams opened with rounds of 3-under 68 and 2-under 69 in Monday’s double round before closing with a 3-over 74. Mirams was competing as an individual for the Blue Hens, but he made a pretty good case for getting himself in the starting lineup.

Nieves started slowly with a 2-over 73 before posting back-to-back 2-under 69s.

   Villanova’s Matt Minerva of Elmsford, N.Y. continued a strong start to his college career as the freshman joined the group at 2-under. Minerva opened with a 3-under 68 and added a 1-under 70 in Monday’s double round before closing with a 2-over 73.

   Rounding out the quartet at 211 was Georgetown’s Peter DeGroot, a freshman from Potomac, Md. who carded a solid 2-under 69 in Tuesday’s final round.

   Villanova was coming off a trip to the VCU Invitational, where the Wildcats finished 11^th in a tough 12-team field.

   Reb Banas, a junior from Winnetka, Ill., backed up Minerva as he finished alone in 20^th place at 7-over 220. After opening with a 75, Banas added rounds of 1-over 72 and 2-over 73. Noah Peck, a sophomore from Hunt Valley, Md., was another shot behind Banas among the group tied for 21^st place at 8-over 221. After opening with a 2-over 73, Peck added a pair of 3-over 74s.

   Sophomore Danny Dougherty, a Tower Hill product, finished among the group tied for 31^st at 224. He had rounds of 74 and 73 in Monday’s double round before struggling to a 77 in the final round.

   Rounding out the Villanova lineup was Jack O’Hara, a sophomore from Loudonville, N.Y. who landed among the group tied for 37^th place. O’Hara opened with a 2-over 73 and added a 4-over 75 before struggling in the final round with a 79.

   Villanova head coach Jim Wilkes has a young team and there’s no better chance to get some other players a chance to compete as individuals than the Wildcat Fall Invitational.

   Mark Benevento, a redshirt senior from Ocean City, N.J., had been in the starting lineup for the Wildcats’ first two fall events, but had struggled. Benevento found his game a little at White Manor, finishing among the group tied for 26^th place at 10-over 223. He opened with a 2-over 73 and added a 3-over 74 before falling back with a final-round 76.

   Sophomore Matt Davis, one of the Inter-Ac League’s top players during his scholastic career at Malvern Prep, finished among the group tied for 31^st place at 224. Davis, a product of the junior program at Aronimink Golf Club, shaved three shots off his opening-round 76 with a 2-over 73 in Monday afternoon’s second round before finishing up with a 75.

   Luke Alexander, a freshman from Rochester, Minn., struggled, but closed with his best round of the tournament, a 7-over 78, to finish in 45^th place at 244.

   Backing up Nieves for Delaware was senior R.J. Wren, who starred scholastically at Twin Valley and was a Stonewall looper at times this summer. Wren, who finished in a tie for fourth in the Wildcat Fall Invitational a year ago, ended up among the group tied for 26^th at 223. After posting a pair of 75s in Monday’s double round, Wren closed with a 2-over 73.

   Matt Pulgini, a sophomore from Middletown, Del., and Michal Bargenda, a freshman from Poland, each contributed a 1-over 72 in the Blue Hens’ strong final-round showing. Pulgini ended up in the group tied for 33^rd place at 225 and Bargenda finished alone in 36^th place, a shot behind Pulgini at 226.

   Rounding out the starting lineup for Delaware was senior Jack Melville, one of District One’s top players when he was at Upper Dublin. Melville finished among the group tied for 37^th place at 227 after bracketing an even-par 71 in Monday afternoon’s second round with a pair of 78s.

   Hugo Kedzlie, a freshman from England, competed as an individual and finished alone in 40^th place at 230 after closing with his best round of the tournament, a 4-over 75.