Schmidt sparks Drexel to fifth-place finish in Firestone Invitational

   With senior Connor Schmidt, the 2018 Pennsylvania Amateur champion, firing a final round of 5-under-par 67, Drexel continued its strong start to the season with a fifth-place finish in the Firestone Invitational, which wrapped up Tuesday at Firestone Country Club’s North Course in Akron, Ohio.

   Division II power South Carolina-Aiken, behind individual runnerup Leo Johansson, a freshman from Sweden, rode a fast start in Monday’s double round to a one-shot victory over Santa Clara and Bowling Green.

   The Pacers carded rounds of 3-under 285 and 7-under 281 over the 7,125-yard, par-72 North Course layout Monday before closing with a 3-over 291 that left them with a 7-under 857 total. Santa Clara closed with a 5-under 283 and Bowling Green surged up the leaderboard with a sparkling 10-under 278 in the final round as the Broncos and Falcons shared runnerup honors at 6-under 858.

   Host Akron, coached by Archbishop Carroll product David Trainor (and whose mother is the cousin of your favorite blogger), had the best team round of the tournament, an 11-under 277, in Monday afternoon’s second round on its way to a fourth-place finish at 4-under 860, two shots behind Santa Clara and Bowling Green. The Zips closed with a 5-over 293.

   Drexel, coming off a victory in the Dartmouth Invitational, struggled in the opening round with an 11-over 299, but the Dragons bounced back with an 8-under 280 in Monday afternoon’s second round before matching par in the final round with a 288. That left the Dragons alone in fifth place with a 3-over 867 total.

   Temple was also in the field at the Firestone Invitational and the young Owls bounced back from an opening-round 298 with a pair of 4-over 292s to finish in eighth place in the 15-team field at 18-over 882.

   Johansson led a heavily European South Carolina-Aiken starting five as he posted rounds of 5-under 67 in Monday afternoon’s second round and a 3-under 69 in Tuesday’s final round to finish a shot behind individual winner Fabian Sunden, a junior at Akron and, like Johansson a Swede, with a 7-under 209 total.

   Backing up Johansson for the Pacers was Leonardo Bono, a freshman from Switzerland who finished among the group tied for sixth at 2-under 214 total. Bono was in contention for the individual title after rounds of 4-under 68 and 1-under 71 in Monday’s double round before he fell back with a final-round 75.

   Another Swede in the South Carolina-Aiken lineup, sophomore Bjorn Rosengren, finished among the group tied for 18^th place at 2-over 218 after closing with a key 1-under 71 that enabled the Pacers to hold on for the team title.

   Dan Sheehan, a senior from England, struggled to a throw-out 77 in the final round, but was solid in Monday’s double round with rounds of 71 and 73 as he finished among the group tied for 30^th place at 221.

   Rounding out the South Carolina-Aiken lineup was Nic Poole, a sophomore from Columbia, S.C. who landed among the group tied for 59^th place at 228. After struggling to an opening-round 82, Poole came up big for the Pacers, firing a 2-under 70 in Monday afternoon’s second round before closing with a counting 4-over 76.

   Akron’s Sunden took control of the individual chase with a sparkling 6-under 66 on his home course in Monday afternoon’s second round. A final round of 2-under 70 left him with an 8-under 208 total that was a shot better than South Carolina-Aiken’s Johansson.

   Old Dominion junior Gustav Fransson made it three Swedes in the top three at the Firestone Invitational as he finished alone in third place at 5-under 211, two shots behind Johansson. Fransson set the pace in the opening round with a sizzling 6-under 66 and matched par in Monday afternoon’s second round with a 72 before closing with a 1-over 73.

   Dartmouth’s Jason Liu, a junior from Windsor, Conn., and Bowling Green’s Nick Hofland, a senior from Canada, were another shot behind Fransson in a tie for fourth place at 4-under 212. Liu and Hofland both made a big move in the final round as each closed with a 4-under 68.

   Schmidt, a Peters Township product, had opened with rounds of 1-over 73 and 3-over 75 in Monday’s double round before unleashing that final-round 67 that left him among the group tied for 10^th place at 1-under 215.

   Senior Alex Butler, a member of St. Joseph’s Prep’s 2014 PIAA Class AAA championship team as a junior, got it going in Monday afternoon’s second round, firing a 3-under 69 before closing with a 3-over 75 that left him among the group tied for 16^th place at even-par 216. Butler was the runnerup in the individual standings in the Dartmouth Invitational.

   Jeffrey Cunningham, a junior from West Palm Beach, Fla., finished among the group tied for 21^st at 3-over 219. Cunningham helped spark a strong final two rounds for the Dragons as he carded a 2-under 70 in Monday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 73.

   Angelo Giantsopoulos, a junior from Canada, also came on strong after a slow start as he posted a 1-under 71 in the second round before closing with a 73 that left him among the group tied for 46^th place at 224.

   Rounding out the Drexel lineup was junior Stephen Cerbara, the 2015 PIAA Class AAA champion as a senior at Holy Ghost Prep. Cerbara contributed a 2-under 70 to the Dragons’ second-round surge before closing with a 77 that left him in the group tied for 49^th place at 225.

   Sophomore Conor McGrath, an Academy of the New Church product, continued to establish himself as one of Temple’s top players as he led the way for the Owls with a 2-over 218 total that left him among the group tied for 18^th place. Conor McGrath opened with a 3-under 69 and added a 1-over 73 before struggling a little in the final round with a 76.

   Junior Dawson Anders, a former Souderton standout and the winner of the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s Junior Boys’ crown in 2017, bounced back from an opening-round 80 with a sparkling 5-under 67 before matching par in the final round with a 72 that left him among the group tied for 21^st place at 3-over 219. Graham Chase, a freshman from Charlotte, N.C., joined Anders at 219 as he closed with a solid 2-under 70.

   Conor McGrath’s opening-round 69, Anders’ second-round 67, which included a hole-in-one, and Chase’s final-round 70 were all college career-best single rounds.

   Senior Liam McGrath, like younger brother Conor an Academy of the New Church product, had his best round of the tournament in Tuesday’s final round, a 2-over 74 that left him among the group tied for 55^th at 226.

   Still experimenting with his starting lineup, head coach Brian Quinn gave freshman Buddy Hansen, who starred scholastically at La Salle, a shot, but Hansen struggled, finishing alone in 80^th place at 245.

   Another freshman, Danny Nguyen of Vietnam, competed as an individual for the Owls and closed with an even-par 72 to finish among the group tied for 59^th at 228.