Lydon, Taylor help Drexel finish fifth in ODU/OBX Intercollegiate at Kilmarlic

 

   Drexel, behind solid showings from seniors Kevin Lydon, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier as a senior at Central Bucks West in 2021, and Caleb Taylor of Woodbine, Md., finished in fifth place in the ODU/OBX Intercollegiate last week at Kilmarlic Golf Club in Powells Point, N.C.

   With three of the six Big 5 teams in the field at Kilmarlic, I was thinking of just recapping the ODU/OBX Intercollegiate in an expected post on the Big 5 Championship, scheduled for Thursday at Union League Liberty Hill.

   But all-day rain forced the postponement of the Big 5 Championship, which will now be played this Thursday, Nov. 6 at The 1912 Club.

   The same weather system that would eventually find its way to the Philadelphia area was approaching Powells Point on the Outer Banks, so the ODU/OBX Intercollegiate, originally scheduled as single rounds Oct. 27^th, 28^th and 29^th was squeezed into two days with teams playing 27 holes that Monday the 27^th and 27 holes the following day, Tuesday the 28^th.

   William & Mary, one of Drexel’s Coastal Athletic Association rivals, claimed its first team title in a tournament since 2018, finishing up with back-to-back 5-under-par 279s in the final two rounds over the 6,554-yard, par-71 Kilmarlic layout as the Tribe finished with an even-par 852 total. William & Mary’s 5-under 279s were the low team rounds of the tournament.

   William & Mary was led by individual champion Eli Felty, a freshman from North Chesterfield, Va. who finished with a 4-under 209 total, a shot better than Georgetown’s Carson Erick, a freshman from Hingham, Mass.

   After matching par in the opening round with a 71, Felty negotiated a second round played over two days with a 2-under 69 before closing with another 69.

   William & Mary had opened with a 10-over 294 before getting it in at 5-under in each of the last two rounds to finish seven shots clear of runnerup Georgetown, a Big East representative.

   Georgetown, behind Erick’s individual runnerup finish, was seven shots ahead of William & Mary after opening with a 3-over 287. The Hoyas added a 5-over 289 in a second round played over two days to fall three shots behind the Tribe before finishing up with a solid 1-under 283 for a 7-over 859 total.

   Erick opened with a 1-over 72 and had the individual lead when the second round was finally completed as he carded a sizzling 5-under 66, the low individual round of the tournament. Erick closed with another 1-over 72 to finish a shot behind Felty with a 3-under 210 total.

   Longwood, a Big South Conference entry, finished two shots behind Georgetown in third place with a 9-over 861 total. The Lancers were solid throughout, adding a 2-over 286 in the second round to their opening round of 3-over 287 before closing with a 4-over 288.

   Longwood was led by Matthew Lyons, a redshirt sophomore from Canada who shared third place in the individual standings with William & Mary’s Preston Burton, a junior from Charlottesville, Va., Maryland Eastern Shore’s Andreas Roman, a freshman from Spain, and East Carolina’s Philip Linberg Bondestad, a senior from Norway, each landing on 1-under 212, two shots behind Georgetown’s Erick.

   Lyons opened with a solid 2-under 69 and matched par in the second round with a 71 before closing with a 1-over 72.

   East Carolina, another CAA entry, finished two shots behind Longwood in fourth place with an 11-over 963 total. The Pirates sandwiched a solid 1-under 283 in the second round with a pair of 6-over 290s.

   Linberg Bondestad led the way for East Carolina as he opened with a 2-over 73 and added a sparkling 4-under 67 in the second round before finishing up with a 1-over 72 that left him in the group tied for third place at 1-under.

   It was another nine shots back to Drexel in fifth place – the third CAA team among the top five – with a 20-over 872 total. The Dragons added a 6-over 290 in the second round to their opening-round 294 before closing with a 4-over 288.

   Lydon and Taylor were among the group tied for 12^th place at 3-over 216.

   After opening with a 3-over 74 and adding a 73 in the second round, Lydon, who teed it up in the U.S. Amateur at The Olympic Club in San Francisco in August, closed with a 2-under 69, the low round of the tournament for the Dragons, to get it to 3-over. After matching par in the opening round with a 71, Taylor added a 2-over 73 in the second round before finishing up with a 1-over 72.

   La Salle, an Atlantic 10 representative, finished in seventh place with a 26-over 878 total as the Explorers bounced back from an opening-round 300 with back-to-back 10-over 294s in the final two rounds.

   Saint Joseph’s, one of La Salle’s Atlantic 10 rivals and the third of the Big 5 teams in the field, finished in 15^th place in the 16-team field with a 902 total. After opening with a 301, the Hawks posted a 9-over 293 in the second round before struggling to a 308 in the final round.

   Backing up Elty for William & Mary was Burton as he rebounded from an opening round of 5-over 76 with solid back-to-back 3-under 68s in the final two rounds that enabled him to join the quartet tied for third place at 1-under.

   Matthew Monastero, a graduate student from Leesburg, Va., gave the Tribe a third top-10 finisher as he ended up in a tie for 10^th place with Longwood’s David Lafreniere, a junior from Canada, each recording a 2-over 215 total.

   After opening with a 4-over 75, Monastero contributed back-to-back 1-under 70s to help William & Mary maintain its advantage over Georgetown.

   Talon Dingledine, a freshman from Chesterfield, Va., rattled off three straight 1-over 72s as he finished among the group tied for 12^th place for William & Mary with a 3-over 216 total.

   Rounding out the lineup for William & Mary was Grady Williams, a sophomore from Manakin-Sabot, Va. who finished in the group tied for 57^th place at 14-over 227. Williams improved with each round, adding a 5-over 76 in the second round to his opening-round 78 before closing with a 1-over 73.

   Maryland Eastern Shore’s Roman matched the low round of the opening round with a sparkling 4-under 67 and matched par in the second round with a 71 before backing off a little with a 3-over 74 in the final round that left him among the group tied for third place at 1-under.

   Oscar Crowe, a freshman from Boca Raton, Fla., gave East Carolina another top-seven finisher as he finished in a tie for seventh place with North Dakota’s Joe Kortan, a junior from Moorhead, Minn., and Murray State’s Sam Guest, a sophomore from Louisville, Ky., each tallying a 1-over 214 total.

   After opening with a 1-under 70, Crowe added back-to-back 1-over 72s in the final two rounds.

   Kortan matched the 4-under 67 posted by Maryland Eastern Shore’s Roman in the opening round and added a 1-over 72 in the second round before closing with a 75. Guest opened with a solid 2-under 69 and matched par in the second round with a 71 before finishing up with a 3-over 74.

   Lafreniere gave Longwood a second top-10 finisher as he opened with a 1-under 70 and added a 1-over 72 in the second round before closing with a 73 that enabled him to join William & Mary’s Monastero in the tie for 10^th place at 2-over.

   Backing up Lydon and Taylor for Drexel was senior John Keba, an Allentown Central Catholic product who gave the Dragons a third top-20 finisher as he ended up in the group tied for 19^th place with a 5-over 218 total.

   After opening with a 5-over 76, Keba matched par in each of the final two rounds with back-to-back 71s.

   Junior Jake Haberstumpf, a scholastic standout at Bethlehem’s Freedom High, finished in a tie for 35^th place for Drexel at 9-over 222 as he posted back-to-back 2-over 73s in the first two rounds before closing with a 5-over 76.

   Rounding out the Drexel lineup was sophomore John Stevenson, who starred scholastically at Catholic League power La Salle and was the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s Junior Player of the Year in 2024 with wins in both the GAP Junior Boys’ Championship and the Christman Cup.

   Stevenson carded back-to-back 5-over 76s in the first two rounds before closing with an 82 as he finished in a tie for 76^th place with a 236 total.

   Leading the way for La Salle was Armand Loscalzo, a senior from Mount Pleasant, S.C. who finished among the trio tied for 16^th place with a 4-over 217 total. Loscalzo added a 1-under 70 in the second round to his opening round of 2-over 73 before finishing up with a 74.

   Payton Hawke, a sophomore from Canada, backed up Loscalzo for the Explorers as he finished in the group tied for 19^th place with a 5-over 218 total. Hawke bounced back from an opening round of 6-over 77 with a 1-under 70 in the second round before matching par in the final round with a 71.

   Gavin Dosch, a junior from Draper, Utah, finished among the group tied for 37^th place with a 10-over 223 total as he matched par in the second round with a 71 after opening with a 4-over 75 and then closed with a 77.

   Kyle Virsik, a freshman from Melbourne, Fla., finished in the group tied for 51^st place at 226 for the Explorers as he bounced back from an opening-round 81 with a 2-over 73 in the second round and a 1-over 72 in the final round.

   Rounding out the La Salle lineup was Alexander Yong, a sophomore from Stockton, N.J. who finished among the group tied for 57^th place with a 227 total as he registered back-to-back 4-over 75s in the first two rounds before closing with a 77.

   Leading the way for Saint Joseph’s was George Williamson Jr., a freshman from Sykesville, Md. who finished among the group tied for 37^th place with a 10-over 223 total. Williamson added a 5-over 76 in the second round to his opening-round 74 before finishing up with his best round of the tournament, a 2-over 73.

   Backing up Williamson for the Hawks was senior Christian Matt, a two-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier at Wissahickon who finished in the group tied for 43^rd place with a 224 total. Matt added a 1-over 72 in the second round to his opening-round 75 before closing with a 77.

   Freshman Sam Feeney, the District One Class AAA champion as a junior at West Chester Rustin in 2023, finished in a tie for 62^nd place for St. Joe’s with a 228 total as he matched par in the second round with a 71 after opening with a 5-over 76 before struggling in the final round with an 81.

   Junior Noah Moelter, who finished in a tie for sixth place in the PIAA Class AAA Championship as a senior at Central Bucks South in 2022, finished in a tie for 69^th place for the Hawks with a 231 total. Moelter added a 3-over 74 in the second round to his opening-round 76 before closing with an 81.

   Rounding out the Saint Joseph’s lineup was freshman Michael Henry Jr., the runnerup in the Inter-Ac League’s Bert Linton Invitational in 2023 as a junior at Malvern Prep. Henry finished in a tie for 71^st place with a 233 total as he posted back-to-back 6-over 78s in the first two rounds before closing with a 77.

   Longwood got a solid showing from sophomore Hunter Swidzinski, the PIAA Class AAA champion in 2023 as a senior at Butler. Swidzinski finished in a tie for 25^th place with a 6-over 219 total for the Lancers as he recorded back-to-back 1-over 72s in the final two rounds after opening with a 75.

   Robert Morris redshirt junior Chuck Tragresser, the PIAA Class AAA runnerup as a senior at Franklin Regional in the pandemic year of 2020, finished among the group tied for 37^th place for the Colonials with a 10-over 223 total. Tragresser matched par in the second round with a 71 after opening with a 4-over 75 before closing with a 77.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Florida men, Oregon women the winners in dreary weather at the East Lake Cup

 

   The Florida men and the Oregon women avenged losses in last spring’s NCAA Championship semifinals to capture their respective titles in the East Lake Cup last week at a soggy and chilly East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Ga.

   The East Lake Cup invites the four semifinalists from the previous spring’s NCAA Championship to compete in a similar, albeit scaled down a bit, version of the NCAA Tournament’s end game.

   Oklahoma State, the men’s national champion last spring at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif. declined its invitation and was replaced in the field by Arizona State, which missed a spot in the match-play bracket at La Costa last spring by a shot. The Cowboys and the Sun Devils are both Big 12 representatives.

   The powerful Stanford women, the runnerup to Northwestern in a fairly epic upset in the Final Match at La Costa last spring, also declined their East Lake invitation and were replaced by their old Pac-12 rival Southern California, which lost to Florida State in the quarterfinals at La Costa.

   If the Cowboys and the Cardinal checked out any of The Golf Channel’s broadcasts of the East Lake Cup, particularly Monday’s qualifying for match play and Wednesday’s finals, they might have been happy they stayed home as there were some simply miserable conditions.

   Having said that, it’s never a bad idea for a college golf team to get at least a little acclimated to playing in the kind of adverse conditions it will inevitably face at some point in the spring. And, considering the national championship is determined at match play, it’s never a bad idea to get some reps in golf’s most inscrutable format, particularly against some stiff competition.

   Virginia, the reigning Atlantic Coast Conference champion, arrived at East Lake at No. 1 in the early Scoreboard powered by clippd rankings. The Cavaliers made a pretty spectacular run to the NCAA Championship’s Final Match last spring before falling to Oklahoma State in a tremendous battle for the title.

   Virginia had knocked off Southeastern Conference champion Florida, 4-1, in the semifinals to reach the Final Match at La Costa.

   After Virginia claimed a 3.5-1.5 victory over Arizona State and Florida had edged SEC rival Mississippi, 3-2, in Tuesday’s semifinals at East Lake, it was the Cavaliers and the Gators going at it in the rain and the chill of Wednesday for the East Lake Cup title.

   It would be Parker Bell, a senior from Tallahassee, Fla. and No. 95 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) who would deliver the winning point as Florida, No. 9 in the Scoreboard rankings, edged the top-ranked Cavaliers, 3-2, to capture the East Lake Cup title.

   Bell held on for a dramatic 1-up victory over Virginia’s Ben James, a senior from Milford, Conn. who has twice been a member of winning U.S. Walker Cup teams and is No. 2 in the WAGR.

   Bell had taken a 4-up lead with five holes to play when James ripped off wins at the 14^th, 15^th and 16^th holes to creep within 1-down. It looked like James was going to draw even with a dramatic chip-in for birdie at the 17^th hole, but Bell drained a clutch birdie putt to maintain his 1-up edge heading to the final hole.

   At the finishing hole, Bell again dropped a clutch birdie putt to close out James and give the Gators their second straight tournament title. Florida was coming off a victory in the Williams Cup, hosted by North Carolina at Eagle Point Golf Club in Wilmington, N.C.

   Florida got off to a good start in the East Lake Cup final when Luke Poulter, a junior from Orlando, Fla. and No. 23 in the WAGR, cruised to a 4 and 3 victory over Michael Lee, who is having an outstanding start to his college career.

   Don’t let that Orlando residence fool you. Poulter is a Brit and the son of Ian Poulter, who has been a thorn in the side of the United States as a standout for Europe in many a Ryder Cup. Luke Poulter has apparently inherited his dad’s match-play chops.

   Michael Lee is a Fairfax, Va. resident and the younger brother of Virginia standout Bryan Lee, a senior.

   Michael Lee was the medalist in Monday’s qualifying round limited to nine holes by inclement weather with a 3-under-par 33 on the outgoing nine of an East Lake layout that was playing to 7,195 yards and par of 72 for the guys. The women played East Lake’s incoming nine in their qualifying round for match play.

   Florida’s other point came from Zack Swanwick, a sophomore from New Zealand who was so clutch as a freshman during the Gators’ postseason run last spring. Swanwick, No. 32 in the WAGR, earned a 2 and 1 decision over Paul Chang, Virginia’s gritty graduate student from China who is No. 40 in the WAGR.

   Bryan Lee, a senior from Fairfax, Va. and No. 27 in the WAGR, earned a point for Virginia with a 3 and 1 victory over Jack Turner, a junior from Orlando, Fla. and No. 14 in the WAGR.

   The Cavaliers’ other point came from Josh Duangmanee, a junior from Fairfax, Va. and No. 48 in the WAGR as he claimed a 2-up victory over Matthew Kress, a senior from Saratoga, Calif. and No. 73 in the WAGR.

   Poulter, Kress, Turner and Swanwick were all in the lineup for Florida in its semifinal loss to the Cavaliers at La Costa last spring. James, Chang, Duangmanee and Bryan Lee were in the lineup for Virginia in the victory that sent that the Cavaliers’ to the Final Match at La Costa.

   It was Turner who accounted for the decisive point in the East Lake Cup semifinals Tuesday as he edged Mississippi’s reigning NCAA individual champion Michael La Sasso, a senior from Raleigh and No. 10 in the WAGR, 2-up, to lift the Gators to a 3-2 victory over Ole Miss, No. 12 in the Scoreboard rankings.

   Didn’t get a chance to catch any of the broadcast of the semifinals and it sounds like it might not have been quite as miserable as the other two days. Cold-weather gear was still very much in evidence in the still photos I saw.

   Poulter put the first point on the board for Florida with a 6 and 4 victory over Tom Frazier, a senior from Birmingham, Ala. and No. 60 in the WAGR.

   Bell delivered the other point for the Gators as he cruised to a 5 and 3 decision over Ole Miss’ Daniel Tolf, a freshman from Sweden.

   Ole Miss got match wins from Cohen Troilio, a junior from West Point, Miss. and No. 50 in the WAGR who knocked off Kress, 3 and 2, and Cameron Tankersley, a senior from Dickson, Tenn. and No. 16 in the WAGR who rolled to a 5 and 4 decision over Swanwick.

   Michael Lee sparkled Virginia in its 3.5-1.5 victory over Arizona State in the other semifinal with a decisive 7 and 6 victory over Michael Mjaaseth, a senior from Norway and No. 19 in the WAGR.

   The Cavaliers also got full points from Chang, who claimed a 4 and 2 verdict over Boston Bracken, a freshman from St. George, Utah, and James, who captured a 4 and 3 decision over Bowen Mauss, a freshman from Draper, Utah.

   Bryan Lee earned a half-point by battling Connor Williams, a junior from Escondido, Calif. to a draw and Peer Wernicke, a sophomore from Germany, picked up a full point for the Sun Devils with a 1-up victory over Duangmanee.

   Fischer, Trolio and La Sasso each picked up a match win and earned full points for Ole Miss as the Rebels topped Arizona State, 3.5-1.5, in the third-place match.

   Michael Lee’s medalist performance on a dreary Monday of qualifying for match play gave Virginia the top seed in the team standings with a 6-under 138 total.

   Florida finished three shots behind the Cavaliers in second place with a 3-under 141 total behind Bell, who finished in a tie for second place in the individual standings with Virginia’s James, each landing on 2-under 34.

   Ole Miss finished in third place with a 1-under 143 total and Arizona State took fourth with a 1-over 145 total.

   Backing up Michael Lee and James for Virginia were Chang, who finished among a group tied for fourth place with a 1-under 35, and Bryan Lee, who matched par with a 36 to finish in the group tied for ninth place.

   On the women’s side, Oregon’s Kiara Romero, a junior from San Jose, Calif. and the No. 1 player in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), sealed the deal for the Ducks, No. 3 in the Scoreboard rankings, with a 3 and 2 victory over Northwestern sophomore Megan Meng, a product of Hopewell Valley Central in Pennington, N.J., that gave them a 4-1 victory and the East Lake Cup title.

   Romero had fallen, 2-up, to Northwestern’s Dianna Lee, a senior from San Deigo, Calif. and No. 94 in the Women’s WAGR, in the deciding match in the Wildcats’ semifinal victory over Big Ten champion Oregon in the NCAA Championship at La Costa last spring.

   And Dianna Lee, who would come back to earn the final point in Northwestern’s stunning upset of Stanford in the Final Match at La Costa last spring, continued to play a leading role for the Wildcats at East Lake.

   Dianna Lee, No. 94 in the Women’s WAGR, was the medalist in qualifying for match play with a 2-under 34 on East Lake’s back nine in miserable conditions. The East Lake layout measured 6,185 yards for the women.

   Dianna Lee picked up the lone full point for Northwestern, No. 21 in the Scoreboard rankings, in the East Lake Cup title match with a 5 and 4 victory over Shyla Singh, a freshman from Australia.

   But Romero’s Oregon teammates had the answers in the other matches.

   Sophie Han, a freshman from Hong Kong and No. 100 in the Women’s WAGR, cruised to a 5 and 4 victory over Ashley Yun, a junior from West Covina, Calif. and No. 87 in the Women’s WAGR, in the leadoff match.

   Oregon’s Tong An, a sophomore from China, edged Hsin Tai Lin, a sophomore from Taiwan, 1-up, and Suvichaya Vinijchaitham, a sophomore from Thailand and No. 18 in the Women’s WAGR, pulled out a 1-up victory over Arianna Lau, a freshman from Hong Kong and No. 35 in the Women’s WAGR.

   Romero, An and Vinijchaitham were in the lineup for Oregon in the Ducks’ loss to their Big Ten rival in the national semifinals last spring. Oregon appears poised to make a another run at a national championship in the spring.

   Dianna Lee, Yun and Tai Lin were in the lineup for Northwestern in its victory over Stanford in the NCAA Championship’s Final Match last spring.

   Romero had rolled to a 6 and 5 decision over Florida State’s Alexandra Gazzoli, a sophomore from Palm Coast, Fla., to spark Oregon to a 3-2 victory in Tuesday’s East Lake Cup semifinals over the Seminoles, out of the Atlantic Coast Conference and No. 28 in the Scoreboard rankings.

   Oregon’s other two points against Florida State came from Vanijchaitham, who claimed a 4 and 3 victory over Elin Pudas Remler, a sophomore from Sweden, and Han, who earned a 3 and 2 win over Haruhi Nakatani, a freshman from Japan.

   Sophia Fullbrook, a sophomore from England, got Florida State on the board with a 4 and 3 victory over Singh. The other point from the Seminoles was recorded by Freya Russell, a sophomore from Scotland who earned a 3 and 2 decision over An.

   Northwestern ran into a familiar face in its 4-1 semifinal victory over another of its new West Coast Big Ten rivals in Southern California, which arrived at East Lake at No. 2 behind top-ranked Stanford in the Scoreboard rankings.

   Elise Lee, a sophomore from Irvine, Calif. and No. 47 in the Women’s WAGR, was in the lineup for the Trojans. Elise Lee had been in the lineup for Northwestern in its victory over Stanford in the Final Match at La Costa last spring, but decided to return home to SoCal to play for Southern Cal.

   Northwestern’s Lau edged Elise Lee on the 19^th hole for the clinching point for the Wildcats. All of the matches in Northwestern’s deceptively tight victory over the Trojans reached at least the 17^th hole.

   Northwestern’s other points came from Yun, who pulled out a 1-up victory over Sarah Hammett, a freshman from Australia, Meng, who earned a 2 and 1 win over Kylie Chong, a sophomore from Torrance, Calif. and Dianna Lee, who again played the role of giant killer with a 2 and 1 verdict over senior Catherine Park, another Irvine, Calif. resident who is No. 10 in the Women’s WAGR.

   Southern Cal’s lone point was recorded by Jasmine Koo, a talented sophomore from Cerritos, Calif. who is No. 9 in the Women’s WAGR. Koo needed 20 holes to finally pull out a victory over Tai Lin.

   Elise Lee, Hammett, Park and Koo all had match wins for Southern Cal as the Trojans claimed a 4-1 victory over Florida State in Wednesday’s third-place match.

   Oregon’s Romero was the runnerup to Dianna Lee in the qualifying for match play that was limited to nine holes, the incoming nine at East Lake, with a 1-under 35 that led the Ducks to the top seed with an even-par 144 total.

   Southern Cal, led by Hammett, the freshman who matched par with a 36 to share third place with Oregon’s Vinjichaitham and An in the individual standings, finished three shots behind Oregon in second place in the team chase with a 3-over 147 total.

   Northwestern, behind Dianna Lee’s medal-winning performance, was seven shots behind the Trojans in third place with a 10-over 154 total. Florida State finished in fourth place, a shot behind Northwestern with an 11-over 155 total.

   Singh and Han rounded out the Oregon lineup as they finished among the group tied for sixth place at 1-over 37.