The Dartmouth men's golf team traveled to Ithaca, N.Y., to compete at the Cornell Invitational. The team collectively shot a total of 301 points, securing a fourth-place finish. Dartmouth opened shooting 305 and shot 297 in the second round. Their 54-hole total was 903, just one stroke shy of beating third-place winner Cornell.
The men competed at the Robert Trent Jones golf course, which boasts a total of 904 yards on its par-71 course. However, weather conditions provided a challenge for the invitational and the players had to end day one early, finishing round two and starting round three on Sunday.
Towson University and Drexel University proved to be great competition at the invitational, with Towson taking first place with a total score of 895 and Drexel coming in only five strokes behind for second.
While the invitational was only the second tournament of the season, the Big Green men had an impressive showing, with 37 birdies and placing second for par-3 scoring.
Jeffrey Lang '17 had a remarkable tournament, scoring 13 birdies overall and posting round scores of 74, one-over-par 72, and one-under-par 70. These scores earned Lang second place individually, with Drexel sophomore Christopher Crawford securing first.
Sean Fahey '17 also performed well this weekend, with a final round score of 76 points securing him 17th place. Fahey lead the Big Green with 34 pars.
"It was a great first tournament experience for all of the freshman," Fahey said. "Although we didn't do as well as we would have liked, we can learn from our mistakes and get better."
Head coach Rich Parker echoed Fahey's sentiments.
"The new '17s are unbelievable," Parker said. "This is a great recruiting class. It is such a big step, moving from high school to college, but this is the best recruiting class I've had in my nine years."
Veteran Big Green golfers also placed, with Charlie Edler '15 taking 30th, captain Joey Maziar '14 in 40th and Scott Jaster '17 taking 46th. The men's team looks forward to future tournaments, and sees room for improvement.
"We expect great things this season because we have a very strong mix of junior and senior leadership, as well as a lot of young talent from the '16s and '17s," Fahey said.
Overall, the team looks to be heading in the right direction.
"Dartmouth golf is definitely on the upswing," Parker said. "We are going to keep maintaining pace, and one of these days it will be our turn."
The Big Green women spent their weekend in New Haven, Conn., to compete in the Yale Invitational. The Big Green women shot a team total of 311, placing them in 10th overall. Their early season success has secured them two top-10 tournament finishes, the first being their third-place finish in the Big Green Invitational.
The women competed on a par-71 course at Yale. Tournament host Yale finished in first place by 19 strokes, followed by Xavier University in second and The University of Pennsylvania in third. Seton Hall University and Boston University rounded out the top five. The Big Green was just two strokes behind ninth-place finisher Charleston Southern University.
Just as the '17s for the Big Green men's team had a great second collegiate tournament, Tara Simmons '17 shot a 76 in the third round, giving her a 12th place finish overall. Sarah Knapp '14 finished with a 78 to tie for 24th, and Jane Lee '15 tied for 29th. Lily Morrison '16 and Jessica Goldstein '16 tied for 66th and 70th, respectively.
The women's team believes this past weekend set a strong precedent for future tournaments.
"Our second day total was one of the lowest in Dartmouth women's golf history," Morrison said. "We played great as a team for the whole weekend, especially considering the tough playing conditions. We have a lot of talent this year, and I am excited for the rest of the tournaments."
Dartmouth men's golf plays again Oct. 5-6 at the MacDonald Cup in Connecticut, while the Big Green women take the course again at Harvard University Oct. 13-14.
