Temple men’s golf finished eighth at the Firestone Invitational on Monday and Tuesday in Akron, Ohio.
The team’s best golfers put in a good performance on one of the two days, but didn’t have consistent play.
Sophomore Conor McGrath had a stellar Monday performance, as he recorded eleven birdies in the first and second rounds, giving him a three-under 69 and one-over 73, respectively. McGrath finished the third round with a four-over 76, which gave him a composite score of 218. McGrath tied for 18th place and was the team’s overall leading scorer.
Junior Dawson Anders started out slow, as he scored an eight-over 80 in the first round but improved second round. He captured a hole-in-one on the 17th hole and concluded the round with a five-under 67, both being career-firsts.
“[The second round] was an amazing finish,” Coach Brian Quinn said. “The finish on that nine was amazing, where he obviously finished birdie, hole-in-one, eagle, which has got to be one of the best finishes in the history of golf.”
Anders finished the third round on Tuesday with an even-par 72 and ultimately finished the outing tied for 21st with a 219 composite score.
Despite the disappointing finish, Quinn saw a lot of great moments from his players.
“I saw a lot of positive things, but we have to learn to be more frugal with our management of the game so we don’t make double and triple bogeys,” Quinn said.
Freshman Graham Chase recorded a 72 in the first round, which met par. He then had a five-over 77 in the second round. Chase capped off the third round with four birdies, which left him with a two-under 70. Chase tied for 21st.
Senior Liam McGrath finished tied for 55th at the conclusion of the tournament.
McGrath ended the first round with a 77, followed by a 75 in the second. He finished the third with a two-over 74.
Sophomore Buddy Hansen started out with an 80 in the first round, followed by a seven-over 79 in the second. Hansen finished the outing 80th with a composite score of 245.
“If I can do a good job getting these kids prepared for the next event, and we’re working on all the right things, I think each week you’ll see them getting a little better,” Quinn said.
The Owls’ next outing will be on Oct. 14-15 at the Phoenix Invitational in Burlington, North Carolina.
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