Brown leads the way as Loyola captures team crown in Ross Collegiate Classic; Villanova finishes 12th

    Evan Brown was one of the top players in the Ches-Mont League when he was at Kennett and he’s been one of Loyola of Maryland’s top players for the last four years.

   Brown saved his best for last, firing a sparkling 3-under-par 69 in the final round to help the Greyhounds overcome a three-shot deficit to North Carolina Greensboro and claim the team title by seven shots in the Donald Ross Collegiate Classic, which wrapped up Tuesday at the Mid Pines Inn & Golf Club in Southern Pines, N.C.

   The Ross Collegiate was scheduled to have a double round Monday, but a frost delay in the morning prevented the teams from completing all 36 holes. The players came back and completed Round 2 Tuesday morning before playing the final round.

   The combination of the cold and what would appear, from the scores, to have been a challenging course setup for Round 1 added up to a 3-over 75 for Brown in Monday’s opening round over the 6,723-yard, par-72 Mid Pines layout. He bounced back with a 1-under 71 in the split second round before his closing 69 left him in a tie for fourth place with UNC Greensboro’s Noah Connor, a sophomore from Reidsville, N.C., at 1-under 215.

   After struggling to an opening round of 14-over 302, Loyola, out of the Patriot League, bounced back with a 1-under 287 that enabled it to get within three shots of UNC Greensboro when the second round went into the books early Tuesday. The Greyhounds closed with a 2-under 286 for an 11-over 875 total.

   Even more impressive was the fact that this was the season opener for Loyola. A lot of teams have understandably struggled in returning to competition for the first time in a year after the coronavirus pandemic shut down college golf last spring and again during the fall portion of the wraparound 2020-2021 season, but the Greyhounds came right out of the gate with a tournament victory, their first since they captured the Patriot League Championship in 2017.

   UNC Greensboro, behind individual champion Tommy Lamb, a freshman from Cary, N.C., opened with a 9-over 297 and added a 1-over 289. The Spartans, out of the Southern Conference, closed with an 8-over 296 to finish seven shots behind Loyola at 18-over 882.

   Lamb was steady throughout, carding a pair of 1-under 71s in the first two rounds and finishing up with a 2-under 70 for a 4-under 212 total that gave him a one-shot victory over Ohio University senior Tanner Johnson, a junior on the 2015 Peters Township team that was the runnerup in the PIAA Class AAA team competition.

   Richmond, from the Atlantic 10 Conference, matched Loyola’s final round of 2-under 286 to finish a shot behind UNC Greensboro in fourth place at 19-over 883. The Spiders had opened with a 305 before improving by 13 shots with a 4-over 292 in the second round.

   It was seven more shots back to Elon, a Colonial Athletic Association entry which finished fourth with a 26-over 890 total. The Phoenix got off to a good start with a 10-over 298, but struggled in the second round with a 306 before closing with a 2-under 286.

   George Mason, another Atlantic 10 entry, was five more shots behind Elon in fifth place at 31-over 895. The Patriots opened with a 306 and shaved 15 shots off that with a 3-over 291 in the second round before finishing up with a 10-over 298.

   I missed Villanova’s return to competition as the Wildcats finished in 14^th place in the 16-team field in the Invitational at Savannah Harbor at the Club at Savannah Harbor in Savannah, Ga. three weekends ago. Villanova had not competed as a team in nearly a year when the Wildcats teed it up in Savannah as, like many teams, they saw the fall campaign of the 2020-’21 season cancelled as the pandemic continued to rage.

   Villanova, a Big East representative, struggled in the first two rounds in the Ross Collegiate, but closed with a solid 7-over 295 to finish in 12^th place in the 13-team field at 63-over 297.

   Villanova was paced in the final round by graduate student Ambrose Abbracciamento, who is taking the extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA to make up for the spring of his senior year at San Diego State that was stolen by the pandemic on the Main Line, and former Haverford School standout Max Siegfried, who came home beginning in the fall of 2019 after starting his college career at Virginia. Abbracciamento and Siegfried each matched par in the final round with a 72.

   Villanova opened with a 20-over 308, but really struggled in the second round with a 324 before finding its groove in the final round. More on the Wildcats later.

   In addition to Brown’s tie for fourth place, Loyola had two other finishers among the top seven.

   Matthew Malits, a junior from Silver Spring, Md., finished alone in sixth place, a shot behind Brown and Connor at even-par 216. After opening with a 74, Malits matched par in the second round with a 72 before contributing a 2-under 70 to the Greyhounds’ strong closing kick.

   Brandon Berry, a senior from McLean, Va., ended up two shots behind Malits in a tie for seventh place with Richmond’s Michael Childress, a junior from Salisbury, N.C. at 2-over 218. Berry, who had registered a pair of 74s in the first two rounds, matched Malits’ final round of 2-under 70.

   Turner Foster, a sophomore from East Hampton, N.Y., struggled in the first and final rounds for the Greyhounds, but came up big with a 2-under 70 in the second round. An opening-round 81 and a final-round 85 left Foster among the group tied for 58^th place at 236.

   Rounding out the Loyola lineup was Brett Inserra, a sophomore from Upper Saddle River, N.J. who finished alone in 69^th place at 240. Inserra opened with a 79 and struggled to an 84 in the second round, but his final-round 77 was a crucial fourth counter for the Greyhounds.

   Ohio University’s Johnson fired a final round of 3-under 69, but couldn’t quite catch Lamb for the individual title as Johnson finished a shot behind Lamb at 3-under 213. After opening with a 73, Johnson added a solid 1-under 71 in the second round.

   George Mason’s Florian Blatti, a senior from Switzerland, finished another shot behind Johnson in third place with a 2-under 214 total. After opening with a 74, Blatti matched par in the second round with a 72 before closing with a 4-under 68 that matched the low round of the tournament.

   UNC Greensboro’s Connor added a 2-under 70 to his opening-round 72 and was right there with his teammate Lamb, the eventual winner, after two rounds. Connor finished up with a 1-over 73 to get his share of fourth place with Loyola’s Brown at 1-under 215.

   Richmond’s Childress bounced back from an opening-round 77 with a 1-under 71 in the second round and a final round of 2-under 70 to get a share of seventh place with Loyola’s Berry, two shots behind Berry’s teammate Malits.

   William & Mary’s Jimmy Taylor, a sophomore from Alexandria, Va., finished alone in ninth place, a shot behind Berry and Childress at 3-over 219. Taylor sandwiched a 1-under 71 in the second round with a pair of 74s.

   UNC Greensboro had two of the three players who rounded out the top 10 in the individual standings in a tie for 10^th place at 4-over 220. They were Zack Swanson, a senior from Waxhaw, N.C., and Randall Hudson, a freshman from New Bern, N.C. Swanson sandwiched an even-par 72 in the second round with a pair of 74s while Hudson, after opening with a 75, also matched par in the second round with a 72 before closing with a 1-over 73.

   Swanson and Hudson were joined at 220 was Florida A&M’s Mahindra Latchman, a graduate student from Orlando, Fla. who struggled in the first two rounds, adding a 76 to his opening-round 74, before closing with a 2-under 70 to earn himself a top-10 finish.

   Villanova was led by Peter Weaver, a freshman from Frontenac, Mo. who finished in the group tied for 35^th place at 12-over 228. Weaver put together a pair of 77s in the first two rounds before closing with a solid 2-over 74.

   Siegfried, who plays out of Aronimink Golf Club, struggled in the first two rounds, adding an 82 to his opening-round 79 before closing with his solid 72 that left him among the group tied for 49^th place at 233.

   Abbracciamento, a Bucks County guy from Newtown, is an interesting addition to head coach Jim Wilkes’ roster. Abbracciamento has been a tough guy to keep up with. He started his college career at Hartford and then headed west to join the San Diego State program, although he would show up in the summer, playing in Golf Association of Philadelphia events and in USGA qualifiers.

   Like Siegfried, Abbracciamento couldn’t solve the Mid Pines layout in the first two rounds as he added an 84 to an opening-round 81. His final round of even-par 72 left him in a tie for 61^st place at 237.

   Reb Banas, a senior from Winnetka, Ill. who has been a fixture in Wilkes’ lineup the last four seasons, shared 61^st place with Abbracciamento at 237. Banas sandwiched a second-round 81 with a pair of 78s.

   Rounding out the lineup for Villanova was Noah Peck, a junior from Hunt Valley, Md. who finished a shot behind Banas and Abbracciamento in a tie for 63^rd place at 238. Peck was Villanova’s first-round medalist with a 2-over 74 before struggling to an 87 in the second round and finishing up with a 77.

   Jonathan Elkins, a freshman from South Danforth, Mass., competed as an individual and finished among the group tied for 58^th place at 236. Elkins improved every round, opening with an 81 and adding a 78 in the second round before closing with a 77.

   Of the group that represented Villanova in the Ross Collegiate, only Banas was in the lineup in the last Big East Championship that the Wildcats contested in the spring of 2019 at Callawassie Golf Club in Okatie, S.C. Juniors Matt Davis, a former Malvern Prep standout, Danny Dougherty, a Tower Hill product, and Jack O’Hara of Loudonville, N.Y. teed it up at Callawassie in 2019 remain on the Villanova roster and could challenge for a spot in the first five before the spring is over.