Penn State rallies to win team title in its Rutherford Intercollegiate for the eighth time in a row

   At No. 98 in the Golfstat rankings, it would seem unlikely that Penn State will get an at-large bid into the NCAA regionals.

   So, the 46^th Rutherford Intercollegiate, the Nittany Lions’ home tournament, held last weekend at Penn State’s Blue Course, had some added significance. Penn State had won the last seven playings of the Rutherford, so they it wanted to keep that streak going to salvage a little something from a season that hasn’t quite been what it had hoped it might be.

   Trailing Valparaiso, a Missouri Valley Conference representative, by five shots going into Sunday’s final round, the Nittany Lions, behind 3-under-par 68s from James Allen, a junior from Scarsdale, N.Y., and senior Jimmy Meyers, a member of Pittsburgh Central Catholic’s 2018 PIAA Class AAA Championship team, surged down the stretch to pull out a one-shot victory over the Beacons.

   The team title stretched Penn State’s winning streak in the Rutherford to eight in a row and marked the 30^th time the Nittany Lions have captured the team crown in their home event. The team success also marked the 75^th tournament win for long-time Penn State head coach Greg Nye.

   Penn State had opened with a couple of solid rounds in Saturday’s double round over the 7,171-yard, par-71 Blue Course layout, a 2-under 282 in the morning and a 1-over 285 in the afternoon.

   Valparaiso, though, had jumped in front by ripping off a solid 10-under 274 in Saturday afternoon’s second round after opening with a 4-over 288.

   But Penn State got it in red figures again in Sunday’s final round with another 2-under 282 for a 3-under 849 total. Valparaiso closed with a 4-over 288 to finish one frustrating shot behind the Nittany Lions with a 2-under 850 total.

   Allen was Penn State’s top individual finisher as he opened with a 2-under 69 and added a 1-over 72 before closing with his solid 68 that left him in a tie for fourth place with a 4-under 209 total. Meyers, who has had a really solid senior season, had opened with a 1-under 70 and added a 2-over 73 in Saturday’s second round before his closing 68 left him in a tie for sixth place with a 2-under 211 total.

   Valparaiso was led by a 2-3 individual finish from Anthony Delisanti, a sophomore from Sanborn, N.Y., and Caleb VanArragon, a senior from Blaine, Minn., respectively.

   Delisanti added a pair of 1-under 70s to his solid opening round of 4-under 67 to earn runnerup honors to individual champion Bryson Richards, a senior at Rhode Island from Plainfield, Vt. Delisanti and Richards both landed on 6-under 207 and Richards was awarded the individual title on a tiebreaker.

   After matching par in the opening round with a 71, VanArragon ripped off a sparkling 6-under 65, the low individual round of the tournament, that gave him a one-shot lead over his teammate Delisanti going into Sunday’s final round. VanArragon closed with a 1-over 72 to finish a shot behind Richards and Delisanti with a 5-under 208 total.

   Georgetown, out of the Big East Conference, had a strong showing as the Hoyas finished three shots behind Valparaiso in third place with a 1-over 853 total.

   After opening with a 1-under 283, Georgetown matched par in Saturday afternoon’s second round with a 284 before closing with a 2-over 286.

   Rhode Island, out of the Atlantic 10, and Sun Belt Conference representative Appalachian State were another eight shots behind Georgetown in a tie for fourth place, each landing on 9-over 861.

   After opening with a 6-over 290, the Rams, behind individual champion Richards, matched par in Saturday afternoon’s second round with a 284 before finishing up with a 3-over 287.

   After matching par with a 71 in the opening round, Richards registered solid back-to-back 3-under 68s to finish with a 6-under 207 total that earned him the individual crown in a tiebreaker.

   The Beacons were steady throughout the weekend as they opened with a 5-over 289 and added a 3-over 287 in Saturday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 1-over 285.

   Delaware, gearing up for the Colonial Athletic Association Championship, which tees off Sunday at Dataw Island’s Cotton Dike Course on St. Helena Island, S.C., finished in seventh place with a 17-over 869 total. The Blue Hens matched par in Sunday’s final round with a 284. They had opened with a 6-over 290 and added a 295 in Saturday afternoon’s second round.

   Temple, in its final tuneup before the American Championship, which tees off Friday at the Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Fla., finished in 11^th place in the 12-team field with a 40-over 892 total. The Owls added a 12-over 296 in Saturday afternoon’s second round to their opening-round 295 before closing with a 301.

   Jake Griffin, a sophomore from Kensington, Md., gave Penn State a third top-10 finisher as he finished among the trio tied for 10^th place with an even-par 213 total. Griffin got off to a good start in Saturday’s double round as he opened with a 2-under 69 before matching par in the afternoon with a 71. Griffin finished up with a 2-over 73.

   Senior Patrick Sheehan, the 2018 District One Class AAA champion as a senior at Central Bucks East, finished in the group tied for 28^th place with a 6-over 219 total. After opening with a 3-over 74, Sheehan carded a solid 2-under 69 in Saturday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 5-over 76.

   Pretty sure Meyers and Sheehan will have the option to play for a fifth season to make up for the spring of 2020 lost to the coronavirus pandemic, either at Penn State or somewhere else. It will be interesting to see whether either or both decide to play a fifth season.

   Rounding out the Penn State lineup was freshman Billy Pabst Jr., the runnerup in the 2021 PIAA Class AAA Championship as a senior at North Pocono who finished in the group tied for 39^th place with a 221 total. Pabst, who has had a solid freshman campaign for the Nittany Lions, recorded a pair of 3-over 74s in Saturday’s double round before closing with a 2-over 73.

   With the Rutherford Intercollegiate at home, Nye used the opportunity to give some of his players a chance to compete as individuals.

   Jack Zubkus, a freshman from Ada, Mich., had a strong showing, joining his teammate Sheehan in the group tied for 28^th place at 6-over 219. After opening with a 5-over 76, Zubkus added a 1-over 72 in Saturday afternoon’s second round before matching par in the final round with a 71.

   Jud Langile, a junior from Ossining, N.Y., joined his teammate Pabst in the group tied for 39^th place with a 221 total as he added a pair of 2-over 73s in the final two rounds to his opening-round 75.

   Sophomore Morgan Lofland, a two-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier during a standout scholastic career at Conestoga, bounced back from an opening-round 78 with a 1-over 72 in Saturday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 2-over 73 to finish among the group tied for 46^th place with a 223 total.

   Penn State’s final tuneup for the Big Ten Championship will be this weekend’s Kepler Intercollegiate, hosted by Ohio State at its Scarlet Course, one of the finest on-campus golf courses in America. The Big Ten Championship tees off April 28 at Galloway National Golf Club at the Jersey Shore.

   Joining Penn State’s Allen in the tie for fourth place at 4-under, a shot behind Valparaiso’s VanArragon, was Georgetown’s Peter DaGroot, a senior from Potomac, Md. who was only two shots out of the individual lead going into Sunday’s final round after carding a pair of 2-under 69s in Saturday’s double round. DeGroot matched par in the final round with a 71.

   DaGroot’s teammate, Charlie Creamean, a sophomore from Winnetka, Ill., joined Penn State’s Meyers in a tie for sixth place at 2-under as Creamean opened with a 2-under 69 and added a 1-over 72 in Saturday afternoon’s second round before finishing up with a 1-under 70.

   Connecticut’s Jared Nelson, a graduate student from Rutland, Vt., and California Baptist’s Eeli Kujanpaa, a sophomore from Finland, finished in a tie for eighth place in the individual standings, each landing on 1-under 212.

   After opening with a 1-over 72, Nelson recorded back-to-back 1-under 70s in the final two rounds. Kujanpaa opened with a solid 4-under 67 and added a 1-over 72 in Saturday afternoon’s second round before finishing up with a 2-over 73.

   Joining Penn State’s Griffin in the trio tied for 10^th place even par were Appalachian State’s Lukas Jonsson, a senior from Sweden, and his fellow Swede, Delaware freshman Casper Nerpin.

   After opening with a 2-over 73, Jonsson carded a pair of 1-under 70s in the final two rounds. Nerpin opened with a solid 3-under 68 and added a 1-over 72 in Saturday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 2-over 73.

   Backing up Nerpin for Delaware was Jack Halleron, a junior from Timonium, Md. who finished in the group tied for 25^th place with a 5-over 218 total. After opening with a 3-over 74, Halleron matched par in Saturday afternoon’s second round with a 71 before finishing up with a 2-over 73.

   Michael Bargenda, a senior from Poland, finished among the group tied for 34^th place for the Blue Hens with a 7-over 220 total as he matched par in the final round with a 71 after adding a 4-over 75 in Saturday afternoon’s second round to his opening-round 74.

   Sparky Ariyachatvakin, a junior from Thailand, finished in the group tied for 46^th place with a 223 total as he opened with a 3-over 74 and struggled to a 79 in Saturday afternoon’s second round before contributing a solid 1-under 70 to Delaware’s strong final-round performance.

   Rounding out the Delaware lineup was Xiong Da, a sophomore from China who finished in 69^th place with a 231 total. Da struggled in the opening round with an 84 and added a 6-over 77 in Saturday’s second round, but, like Ariyachatvakin, Da saved his best for last, matching Ariyachatvakin’s final round of 1-under 70.

   Egor Zubov, a sophomore from Israel, competed as an individual for the Blue Hens and had a solid showing as he finished among the group tied for 34^th place with a 7-over 220 total. Zubov matched par in Saturday afternoon’s second round with a 71 after opening with a 3-over 74 before closing with a 75.

   Hugo Kedzlie, a senior from England, also competed as an individual for Delaware and ended up in the group tied for 46^th place with a 223 total as he bounced back from an opening-round 80 with a 1-over 72 in Saturday afternoon’s second round before matching par in the final round with a 71.

   Temple was led by senior Conor McGrath, winner of the 2021 BMW Philadelphia Amateur Championship at Cedarbrook Country Club who finished in the group tied for 18^th place with a 4-over 217 total. McGrath, a product of the Academy of the New Church, played well in Saturday’s double round, adding a 1-over 72 in the afternoon to his opening round of 1-under 70 before closing with a 4-over 75.

   Graham Chase, a junior from Charlotte, N.C., backed up McGrath for the Owls as he landed in the group tied for 25^th place with a 5-over 218 total. After opening with a 3-over 74, Chase had the best round of the weekend by a Temple player, a 2-under 69, in Saturday afternoon’s second round before finishing up with a 4-over 75.

   Ethan Whitney, a sophomore from Westminster, Mass., also had a decent showing for Temple as he finished among the group tied for 34^th place with a 7-over 220 total. Whitney added a 75 in Saturday afternoon’s second round to his opening round of 1-over 73 before closing with a 1-over 72.

   Sophomore Joey Morganti, a Havertown resident who was a scholastic standout at St. Joseph’s Prep, finished in a tie for 72^nd place with a 239 total as he finished up with an 8-over 79 after recording a pair of 80s in Saturday’s double round.

   Rounding out the Temple lineup was Jake Naese, a sophomore from Bradenton, Fla. who finished in 75^th  place with a 241 total as he added an 81 in Saturday’s second round to his opening round of 7-over 78 before closing with an 82.

   Sophomore Greg Hanna, who starred scholastically at Bishop Shanahan, competed as an individual for Temple in the Rutherford Intercollegiate and finished in 74^th place with a 240 total. Hanna struggled in Saturday’s double round, adding an 84 in the afternoon to his opening-round 82, before turning things around in the final round with a 3-over 74.

   Redshirt sophomore Chuck Tragresser, the PIAA Class AAA runnerup in 2020 as a senior at Franklin Regional, had a solid showing for Rhode Island as he finished among the group tied for 39^th place with an 8-over 221 total. Tragresser added a 5-over 76 in Saturday afternoon’s second round to his opening-round 75 before finishing up with his best round of the weekend, a 1-under 70.