McGrath, Anders, Chase give Temple three finishers in top five in Princeton Invitational

    Battling the typically difficult conditions presented by golf in the early spring in the Northeast, Temple put three players in the top five in the Princeton Invitational, which wrapped up on cold and windy Sunday at Springdale Golf Club in Princeton, N.J.

   Junior Conor McGrath, an Academy of the New Church product and the reigning BMW Philadelphia Amateur champion, closed with a 2-under-par 69 over the 6,444-yard, par-71 Springdale layout to earn runnerup honors in the individual chase, six shots behind the runaway winner William Huang, a freshman at Princeton from Exeter, N.H., with a 4-under 209 total.

   Senior Dawson Anders, a Souderton product and the 2017 Golf Association of Philadelphia Junior Boys’ Championship winner, was the picture of consistency all weekend as he closed with a third straight 1-under 70 to finish a shot behind McGrath in third place with a 3-under 210 total.

   Graham Chase, a sophomore from Charlotte, N.C., was nearly as good as his fellow Owls as he also closed with a 2-under 69 to finish among a trio of players tied for fifth place with a 1-under 212 total.

   It was a banner day for the host Tigers as they swept the top two spots in team standings. Princeton’s Orange team needed every bit of Huang’s brilliant 10-under 203 total to edge Princeton Black by a shot with a 7-under 845 total.

   Princeton Black actually held a narrow one-shot edge following Saturday’s double round. Princeton Black opened with a sizzling 8-under 276 in Saturday morning’s first round and added a 1-under 283 in the afternoon.

   After opening with a 1-under 283, Princeton Orange rose to the challenge from its teammates to fire a 7-under 277 in Saturday afternoon’s second round. Princeton Orange closed with a 1-over 285 in Sunday’s final round while Princeton Black closed with a 3-over 287 to finish a shot behind Princeton Orange with a 6-under 846 total.

   You forget sometimes that Princeton and the rest of the Ivy League are playing a full season for the first time since the 2018-2019 season. College golf shut down in the middle of the spring of the 2019-’20 with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic and, while most college golf teams were back on the course in the spring of 2021, the Ivy League would not allow its teams to compete for the entirety of the 2020-’21 season.

   It was the first time Princeton has claimed the team title in its home event in 18 years. The last time the Ivy League crowned a champion in the spring of 2019, it was Princeton that claimed the title at Hidden Creek Golf Club in Egg Harbor Township, N.J.

   Seton Hall, out of the Big East, finished six shots behind Princeton Black in third place with a solid even-par 852 total. After opening with a 2-over 286, the Pirates carded a 4-under 280 in Saturday afternoon’s second round before finishing up with another 2-over 286.

   The strong showing from its top three finishers enabled Temple, an American Athletic Conference representative, to finish a shot behind Seton Hall in fourth place with a 1-over 853 total.

   Head coach Brian Quinn’s Owls had opened with a 5-over 289 total, but added a 2-under 282 in Saturday afternoon’s second round before closing with another 2-under 282, the best team round in Sunday’s final round when, somehow, the weather was even worse than it had been Saturday.

   A couple more Ivy League entries, Columbia and Yale, finished in fifth and sixth place, respectively.

   After opening with a 1-over 285, the Lions added a 4-over 288 in Saturday’s second round before matching par in the final round with a 284 for a 5-over 857 total that left them four shots behind Temple. The Bulldogs struggled in the opening round with an 11-over 295 before bouncing back with a 3-under 281 in Saturday afternoon’s second and an even-par 284 in Sunday’s final round for an 8-over 860 total that left them three shots behind Columbia.

   Saint Joseph’s, out of the Atlantic 10, finished in a tie for 10^th place with Howard, a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference entry, each landing on 29-over 881. The Hawks bounced back from an opening-round 296 with a solid 1-under 283 in Saturday afternoon’s second round before struggling with a 302 in Sunday’s final round.

   Penn, another Ivy League representative, finished in 14^th place in the 15-team field with a 32-over 884 total. The Quakers struggled in the opening round with a 302, bounced back with a solid 2-over 286 in Saturday afternoon’s second round and finished up with a 296.

   The difficult conditions didn’t seem to bother Huang as he built a four-shot lead by adding a 68 in Saturday afternoon’s second round after opening with a sparkling 4-under 67 that matched the low round of the weekend. He closed with another solid 68 for a 10-under 203 total.

   While four members of the Princeton Black team finished inside the top 10, the Princeton Orange team needed Huang’s effort to pull out the team victory.

   Backing up Huang for the Princeton Orange team were Jackson Fretty, a sophomore from Cos Cob, Conn., and Jake Mayer, a senior from Scotch Plains, N.J., both of whom finished among the group tied for 21^st place at 2-over 215.

   After opening with a 74, Fretty posted a solid 2-under 69 in Saturday afternoon’s second round before finishing up with a 1-over 72. Mayer was tied for second place, four shots behind Huang, going into Sunday’s final round after adding a 3-under 68 in Saturday afternoon’s second round to the even-par 71 he registered in the opening round. Mayer cooled off in the final round with a 76.

   Guy Waterhouse, a senior from South Africa, finished among the group tied for 31^st place with a 5-over 218 total as he added a 1-over 72 in Saturday afternoon’s second round to his opening-round 75 before matching par in the final round with a 72.

   Rounding out the Princeton Orange lineup was Carson Levit, a sophomore from San Francisco who ended up in a tie for 39^th place with a 7-over 220 total. After matching par in the opening round with a 71, Levit added a 75 in Saturday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 3-over 74.

   Temple’s McGrath carded a pair of 1-under 70s in Saturday’s double round before his closing 69 earned him a runnerup finish, six shots behind Huang. Anders was a shot behind his teammate in third place in the individual chase at 3-under 210 with his three straight 70s.

   Leading the way for Princeton Black was Sam Clayman, a senior from Dallas, Texas who finished a shot behind Anders in fourth place in the individual standings with a 2-under 211 total. Clayman was one of the three Princeton players chasing Huang entering the final round as he added a 70 in Saturday afternoon’s second round to his opening round of 2-under 69. Clayman backed off a little in the final round with a 1-over 72.

   Joining Temple’s Chase in the trio tied for fifth place at 1-under 212, a shot behind Clayman, were Yale’s Blake Bentley, a freshman from Winston-Salem, N.C., and Howard’s Everett Whiten Jr., a junior from Chesapeake, Va.

   Chase had opened with a 73 before adding a 1-under 70 in Saturday afternoon’s second round. He moved up the leaderboard with his final-round 69.

   Bentley matched par in Saturday afternoon’s second round with a 71 after opening with a 72 before closing with a solid 2-under 69. Whiten matched the low round of the weekend with his sparkling 4-under 67 in the opening round, struggled a little with a 75 in Saturday afternoon’s second round, but finished up with a 1-under 70.

   Three members of the Princeton Black team – Max Holm, a junior from Walnut Creek, Calif., Henry Dubiel, a sophomore from North Palm Beach, Fla., and Max Ting, a junior from Atherton, Calif. – were among a group of eight players that finished in a tie for eighth place with an even-par 213 total.

   Holm was part of a group that included Princeton Black teammate Clayman and Princeton Orange’s Mayer tied for second place going into the final round, four shots behind the eventual champion Huang, after adding an even-par 71 to his opening-round 68. Holm fell back with a 74 in the final round.

   Dubiel contributed a 2-under 69 to Princeton Black’s strong opening-round performance before adding a 74 in Saturday afternoon’s second round and a 1-under 70 in Sunday’s final round. Ting added a 72 in Saturday afternoon’s second round to his opening-round 70 before matching par in the final round with a 71.

   Seton Hall’s top two finishers, Angus O’Brien, a freshman from Australia, and Gregor Tait, a graduate student from England, also landed in the large group at even-par 213.

   After opening with a 75, O’Brien posted a solid 3-under 69 in Saturday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 70. Tait added a 73 in Saturday afternoon’s second round to the 2-under 69 he carded in the opening round before matching par in the final round with a 71.

    Rounding out the group tied for eighth place were Columbia’s Nathan Han, a sophomore from Somers, N.Y., Dartmouth’s Mark Turner, a senior from Gloucester, Mass., and Howard’s Gregory Odom Jr., a junior from Memphis, Tenn.

   Han, who shared second place when Columbia hosted its Spring Invitational last week at Rolling Green Golf Club, the William Flynn gem in Springfield, Delaware County, matched par in Saturday afternoon’s second round with a 71 after opening with a 72 and finished up with a 1-under 70.

   Turner added a 2-under 69 in Saturday afternoon’s second round to his opening-round 73 before matching par in the final round with a 71. Odom posted a pair of 1-under 70s in Saturday’s double round before closing with a 73.

   Backing up Temple’s top three was Ethan Whitney, a freshman from Westminster, Mass. who finished among the group tied for 46^th place with a 9-over 222 total. After opening with a 76, Whitney added a 1-over 72 in Saturday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 74.

   Rounding out the Temple lineup was junior Buddy Hansen, who starred scholastically at La Salle. Hansen finished in the group tied for 54^th place at 224 as he added a 2-over 73 in Saturday afternoon’s second round to his opening-round 76 before finishing up with a 75.

   Leading the way for Saint Joseph’s was senior J.T. Spina, a two-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier during a standout scholastic career at Pope John Paul II who finished among the group tied for 24^th place with a 3-over 216 total. Spina, who has been solid all spring, added a 2-under 69 in Saturday afternoon’s second round to his opening-round 72 before closing with a 75.

   Backing up Spina for the Hawks was Jake Avery, a junior from Avon, Conn. who finished in the group tied for 31^st place with a 5-over 218 total. Avery matched par in Saturday afternoon’s second round with a 71 after opening with a 73 before finishing up with a 74.

   James Gorman, a sophomore from Greenville, S.C., ended up in a tie for 59^th place with a 225 total as he added a 5-over 76 in Saturday afternoon’s second round to his opening-round 79 before closing with a 75.

   St. Joe’s sophomore Kevin Smith, who led Strath Haven to the first District One Class AAA team crown in the program’s history in 2010, finished in a tie for 67^th with a 230 total. Smith was solid in Saturday’s double round, adding a 1-over 72 in the afternoon to his opening-round 75, but struggled to an 83 in Sunday’s final round.

   Rounding out the St. Joe’s lineup was graduate student Wills Montgomery, who starred scholastically at Downingtown East. Montgomery never found a groove at Springdale as he added a 79 in Saturday afternoon’s second round to his opening-round 76 before finishing up with a 78 that left him in the group tied for 71^st place with a 233 total.

    Leading the way for Penn was Mark Haghani, a senior from Wilson, Wyo. who finished among the group tied for 21^st place at 2-over 215. Haghani, coming off a top-10 finish in last month’s Golden Horseshoe Intercollegiate at the Golden Horseshoe Golf Club in Williamsburg, Va., posted a pair of 1-over 72s in Saturday’s double round before matching par in the final round with a 71.

   Backing up Haghani for the Quakers was John Richardson, a freshman from England who ended up in the group tied for 46^th place with a 9-over 222 total. After opening with a 73, Richardson fell back with a 77 in Saturday afternoon’s second round before closing with a solid 1-over 72.

   Harrison Ornstein, a junior from Naples, Fla., finished among the group tied for 54^th place with a 224 total. After struggling to a 79 in the opening round, Ornstein bounced back with the best round of the weekend by a Quaker with a 3-under 68 in Saturday afternoon’s second round before finishing up with a 77.

   Jason Langer, a senior from Boca Raton, Fla., finished in a tie for 61^st place with a 226 total. Langer, the son of two-time Masters champion and World Golf Hall of Fame member Bernhard Langer, bounced back from an opening-round 78 with a 1-over 72 in Saturday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 76.

   Rounding out the Penn lineup was Anthony Basilio, a junior from Knoxville, Tenn. who finished among the group tied for 71^st place with a 233 total. Basilio shaved five shots off his opening-round 79 with a 3-over 74 in Saturday afternoon’s second round before finishing up with an 80.

   It was a strong showing from Harvard junior Brian Isztwan, one of the Inter-Ac League’s top players during his scholastic career at Penn Charter, as he landed among the group tied for 16^th place with a 1-over 214 total.

   Isztwan, who fell to Temple’s Anders in that 2017 GAP Junior Boys’ final, opened with a solid 2-under 69, added a 1-over 72 in Saturday afternoon’s second round and closed with a 73. Harvard finished in 13^th place in the team standings with a 31-over 883 total.

   Isztwan finished in a tie for 26^th place as a freshman in the Ivy League Championship at Hidden Creek in 2019. He’ll finally get another chance to perform in a conference championship when the Ivy League Championship tees off April 22 at Century Country Club in Purchase, N.Y., a frequent U.S. Open sectional qualifying site.

   Apparently, the Brown program did not survive the pandemic, although the Bruins were represented in the Princeton Invitational by their club team, which included several familiar names. The Brown men’s golf website survives, stuck in a 2019 time warp.

   Luca Jezzeny, who lost in a playoff to Penn State’s Patrick Sheehan for the District One Class AAA title as a senior at Central Bucks West, finished in a tie for 71^st place with a 233 total. After opening with an 80, Luca Jezzeny added a 4-over 75 in Saturday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 78.

   Luca Jezzeny’s younger brother Milo, who finished in a tie for eighth place in the PIAA Class AAA Championship as a senior at C.B. West in 2020, finished four shots behind his brother in a tie for 76^th place with a 237 total. Milo Jezzeny added a 78 in Saturday afternoon’s second round to his opening-round 76 before closing with an 83.

   Cole Kemmerer, who was a junior on Episcopal Academy’s 2016 Inter-Ac championship team, finished in 78^th place with a 249 total. Kemmerer opened with a solid 5-over 76, but struggled to an 83 in Saturday afternoon’s second round and to a 90 in Sunday’s final round.

   Brown’s club team finished last of the 15 teams in the field with a 927 total.