By Scott Padula
Staff Writer
In its second tournament in as many weeks, the men’s golf team fought off 30-mile-per-hour winds and frigid temperatures en route to placing eighth out of 44 in the Wildcat Invitational in Malvern, Pa.
On Monday, the first day of action, the Bison battled the elements to shoot a team score of 320 in the first round. Captain Will Bachman ’12 led the Bison with a team-low of 78. Thomas Walter ’14 shot an 80 while Dan Bernard ’13 and Schuyler Stitzer ’14 both shot opening round 81s. Jon Hartman ’13 rounded out the Orange and Blue team with a score of 82 in his spring debut.
The Bison sharpened their game in the second round of the day, shooting a team score of 318. In the afternoon round, Stitzer broke Bachman’s team-low for the tournament by shooting a 76. Through 36 holes, Stitzer led the team with a score of 157. After his impressive 78 in the first round, Bachman followed up with a second-round score of 82. Other notable performances for the Bison came from Hartman and Bernard, who shot 79 and 81 respectively. After the second round of the tournament, the Orange and Blue sat in 11th place.
In the final round of the tournament on Tuesday, the Orange and Blue shot a team score of 307, allowing them to jump three places in the team standings. Hartman carded the best Bison score of the day with a three-over-par 74. Bernard and Stitzer recorded 77s, while Bachman and Walter tallied 79s. Stitzer led the team with four birdies. This final round was the first of the spring where all five Bison registered scores below 80.
“As long as we continue to practice with intensity and work on areas that need improvement, we will be prepared for Patriot Leagues. It is important to remember that golf is a strange sport where what happens one weekend in no way determines what will happen the next. All we can do as players is make the right decisions and continue to improve,” Stitzer said.
The Orange and Blue have a week off before they head to Farmville, Va. where they will compete in the Manor Intercollegiate on April 13 and 14.