Isztwan helps Harvard claim team crown in The Doc Gimmler at Bethpage's Red Course

    Like anyone whose time at college coincided with the arrival of a novel coronavirus in the spring of 2020, it’s been a bumpy ride for Harvard senior Brian Isztwan, who was the Inter-Ac League’s best player in his final two seasons at Penn Charter.

   There was no college golf for Isztwan from the spring of 2020 when the coronavirus pandemic prematurely ended the 2019-2020 season until the fall of 2021 when the Ivy League finally allowed its athletes to compete again.

   So, I’m guessing it felt pretty good for Isztwan and his Harvard teammates to lift a trophy as the Crimson outlasted host St. John’s by a shot to capture the team crown in The Doc Gimmler, which wrapped up Sunday, in an absolute shootout on the Bethpage State Park’s Red Course in Farmingdale, N.Y. on Long Island.

   Isztwan was coming off a pretty strong summer, which included a victory in the Pennsylvania Golf Association’s R. Jay Sigel Match Play Championship on his home course at Huntingdon Valley Country Club over clubmate Ben Cooley, a guy Isztwan readily admitted has been a golf mentor for him.

   Cooley, by the way, survived a 17-man playoff for the final 12 spots in match play in this week’s U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship, which has had all sorts of weather issues at Erin Hills in Wisconsin.

   Isztwan was the highest finisher of the five-man Harvard lineup, ending up in a tie for 27^th place with a 1-under 209 total over the 7,092-yard, par-70 Bethpage Red layout. I’m guessing he provided more than a little leadership for his younger teammates along the way.

   Isztwan opened with his best round of the weekend, a 3-under 67 in the first of two rounds played Saturday. Isztwan’s solid start was part of a Harvard record 16-under 264 start, smashing the previous single-round record of 271.

   Harvard added a 7-under 273 in Saturday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 10-under 270 in Sunday’s final round for a 33-under 807 total.

   St. John’s, playing out of the Big East, was never far behind. The Red Storm opened with a 12-under 268, creeped within two shots of Harvard with a 9-under 271 and closed with an 11-under 269, the final round’s best team score, to finish a shot behind the Crimson with a 32-under 808 total.

   It was another 14 shots back to George Mason, an Atlantic 10 entry, in third place as the Patriots were solid throughout, adding a 5-under 275 in Saturday afternoon’s second round to their opening round of 273 before closing with a 274 for an 18-under 822 total.

   Towson, a Colonial Athletic Association representative, was nine shots behind George Mason in fourth place with a 9-under 831 total. After opening with a 5-under 275, the Tigers added a 277 in Saturday afternoon’s second round before finishing up with a 279.

   Reigning Big East champion Connecticut, behind individual winner Jared Nelson, a graduate student from Rutland, Vt., Lehigh, out of the Patriot League, and Columbia, another Ivy League entry, finished in a tie for fifth place, each landing on 8-under 832, a shot behind Towson.

   The Huskies opened with a solid 6-under 274 and added a 278 in Saturday afternoon’s second round before matching par in the final round.

   Nelson opened with a scintillating 7-under 63 and kept his foot on the gas, adding a 67 in Saturday afternoon’s second round and closing with a 65 for a 15-under 195 total that was three shots clear of runnerup Samir Davidov, a freshman at George Mason from Roanoke, Va.

   The Mountain Hawks struggled a little in the opening round with a 288, but came on strong after that, carding a 273 in Saturday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 9-under 271.

   The Lions opened with a 6-under 274, backed off with a 3-over 283 in Saturday afternoon’s second round and finished up with a 275.

   Villanova, out of the Big East, was playing in its second tournament in as many weeks and the Wildcats finished in 10^th place in the 15-team field with a 4-over 844 total. Coming off a solid tie for fourth in the Alex Lagowitz Memorial hosted by Colgate, Villanova added a 2-over 282 in Saturday afternoon’s second round to its opening-round 284 before closing with its best round of the weekend, a 2-under 278.

   Harvard was led by a pair of top-10 finishers in the individual standings as Jeff Fang, a sophomore from Canada finished among a trio of players tied for fifth place at 9-under 201, and Brian Ma, a junior from Milpitas, Calif., ended up in a group tied for ninth place at 7-under 203.

   Fang was tied with UConn’s Nelson for the individual lead going into the final round as Fang added a sizzling 6-under 64 in Saturday afternoon’s second round to his opening-round 66. He cooled off in Sunday’s final round with a 1-over 71.

   Ma contributed a 3-under 67 to Harvard’s red-hot start in the opening round. He matched par with a 70 in Saturday afternoon’s second round and was Harvard’s low man in the final round with a sizzling 4-under 66.

   Adam Xiao, a junior from Manhasset, N.Y., and Diego Saavedra-Davila, a sophomore from Puerto Rico, shared 12^th place in the individual standings for Harvard as they each landed on 6-under 204.

   After matching par in the opening-round with a 70 that the Crimson had the luxury of tossing, Xiao carded back-to-back 3-under 67s. Saavedra-Davila sparked Harvard’s blazing start with a sizzling 6-under 64 in the opening round. He cooled off in Saturday afternoon’s second round with a 2-over 72 before closing with a solid 68.

   Isztwan added a 3-over 73 in Saturday afternoon’s second round to his opening-round 67, but contributed a solid 1-under 69 in Sunday’s final round to help the Crimson hold off the determined bid by St. John’s.

   UConn’s Nelson pulled away in the final round for his fourth career individual victory and his second as a Husky. Nelson began his college career at Seton Hall.

   After opening with a 69, George Mason’s Davidov came on strong with a 6-under 64 in Saturday afternoon’s second round and a final round of 5-under 65 for a 12-under 198 total that left him three shots behind Nelson in second place.

   St. John’s was led by Peicheng Chen, a sophomore from China who finished in third place, a shot behind Davidov with an 11-under 199 total. Chen was only a shot behind UConn’s Nelson going into the final round as he added a 5-under 65 in Saturday afternoon’s second round to his opening-round 66 before closing with a 68.

   Hofstra’s Dino Capazano, a senior from South Africa, was a shot behind Chen in fourth place with a 10-under 200 total as he opened with a 5-under 65, cooled off a little with a 68 in Saturday afternoon’s second round and finished up with a 67.

   Joining Harvard’s Feng in the trio tied for fifth place at 9-under 203 were St. John’s senior Gage Wolfle,  a product of South Jersey’s Clearview High, and Long Island’s Jesse Macnaughtan, a graduate student from South Africa.

   After posting back-to-back 68s in Saturday’s double round, Wolfle closed with a 5-under 65. After opening with a 69, Macnaughtan recorded back-to-back 4-under 66s in the final two rounds.

   Columbia’s Nathan Han, a junior from Somers, N.Y., finished alone in eighth place with an 8-under 202 total as he carded back-to-back 4-under 66s in Saturday’s double round before matching par in the final round with a 70.

   Joining Harvard’s Ma in the trio tied for ninth place at 7-under were Lehigh senior David Hurly, who played on a couple of Inter-Ac championship teams at The Haverford School, and George Mason’s J.P. Miller, a graduate student from Windermere, Fla.

   Hurly was steady all weekend, sandwiching a 3-under 67 in Saturday afternoon’s second round with a pair of 68s. Miller opened with a sparkling -under 66, added a 69 in Saturday afternoon’s second round and closed with a 68.

   Backing up Hurly for Lehigh was sophomore Aidan Oehrle, a member of Fox Chapel’s 2019 PIAA Class AAA championship team who erupted for a 6-under 64 in the final round to land in the group tied for 19^th place with a 3-under 67.

   Leading the way for Villanova was Peter Weaver, a junior from Frontenac, Mo. who finished in a tie for 17^th place with a 4-under 206 total. After opening with a solid 3-under 67, Weaver recorded a 1-over 71 in Saturday afternoon’s second round before finishing up with a 68.

   Backing up Weaver for the Wildcats was Vimal Alokam, a sophomore from Ypsilanti, Mich. who matched par in the final round with a 70 to finish among the group tied for 36^th place with a 1-over 211 total. Alokam opened with a solid 2-under 68 before cooling off in Saturday afternoon’s second round with a 73.

   Kyle Kinnane, a graduate student from Anaheim Hills, Calif., finished strong with a 2-under 68 in Sunday’s final round that left him in the group tied for 52^nd place at 5-over 215. Kinnane had bounced back from an opening-round 77 by matching par in Saturday afternoon’s second round with a 70.

   Jason Lohwater, a graduate student from Rochester, N.Y., recorded a solid 2-under 68 in Saturday afternoon’s second round as he finished in a tie for 63^rd place for Villanova with a 7-over 217 total. Lohwater had struggled to an opening-round 77 and closed with a 2-over 72.

   Rounding out the Villanova lineup was Josh Lavely, a freshman from Kewadin, Mich. who finished in the group tied for 67^th place with a 9-over 219 total. Lavely sandwiched a 75 in Saturday afternoon’s second round with a pair of 2-over 72s.

   Luke Alexander, a senior from Rochester, Minn., competed as an individual and shared 63^rd place with his Villanova teammate Lohwater, each landing on 217. Alexander opened with a 4-over 74 and added a 76 in Saturday afternoon’s second round before finding his groove in the final round with a 3-under 67.