At the Ironwood Collegiate Classic on Oct. 1, Temple broke its all-time single-round record by shooting 14 under par and seemed to be heading in the right direction before the American Athletic Conference tournament.
Since joining the AAC in 2013, the Owls have struggled to find success in the conference tournament. Their best performance came in 2019 when they placed fifth, but they have endured four last-place finishes against their conference foes.
But the energy shifted after the impressive showing at the Ironwood Classic — giving reason for optimism heading into the spring season.
Instead, the season fell flat after their performance at the Ironwood Classic and now their outlook for the conference tournament is shaky. Even though recent results were less-than-ideal, the Owls are still remaining confident heading into the biggest tournament of the year.
“It’s just about being ready to go mentally, physically and just enjoying it,” said golfer Jake Naese. “Focus on each shot at a time and do the best we can do. That’s all we can do at the end of the day.”
The Owls had a promising start to the fall season by placing fourth at the Temple Invitational on Sept. 21 and 22. They followed that up with their historical performance at the Ironwood Collegiate Classic, where they finished seventh out of 15 and broke the school’s single-round mark.
But that momentum quickly faded as Temple suffered a 13th-place finish at the Elon Phoenix Invitational on Oct. 15 and fourth out of six in the Big 5 Tournament on Oct. 24.
The spring season has mirrored the back half of the fall. The Owls kicked off the campaign tying for 11th out of 18 teams at the Wexford Intercollegiate on Feb. 17 and 18 and finishing 13th out of 15 at the Cleveland Golf Palmetto Intercollegiate on March 10 and 11.
Temple responded by putting together one of its best performances of the season at the ECU Intercollegiate at Brook Valley on March 17 and 18, where the team finished fourth out of 18. But that positive play was quickly washed away and the Owls plummeted back to the middle of the pack when they tied for seventh out of 14 at the Cutter Creek Intercollegiate from March 28-30.
The Princeton Invitational on April 12 and 13 was the last opportunity to gain some momentum before the AAC tournament but Temple finished 10th of 14 teams. The Owls rank 228th out of 306 Division I schools, but head coach Brian Quinn’s faith in his team hasn’t wavered. He has focused on improving the team’s weaknesses, particularly their short game and bunker play.
“Putting and chipping is how you score,” Quinn said. “I think that’ll help us a lot and that is our big focus going into Princeton and the championships.”
Despite their inconsistency, the team’s overall confidence hasn’t faltered. The players have supported one another through challenges, emphasizing the importance of staying ready and lifting each other up.
Joey Morganti has been one of the Owls’ top performers all season and has been a main catalyst in trying to keep the team together.
“I think we’ve done a good job of bouncing back,” Morganti said. “We’ve had a pretty tough year so far, but we are learning from our mistakes and continuing to grow as individuals and as a team.”
Quinn has leaned on his core four of Naese, Morganti, Ethan Whitney and Aidan Emmerich to drive home positive results. While they have made their mark on the green, the Owls are still searching for a fifth contributor to make an impact in the final stretch of the season.
Mason Tomé could be the missing piece the team is looking for, but his inexperience has prevented him from moving to the next level. The freshman made his debut in the fall season opener but didn’t make another appearance until the Cutter Creek Intercollegiate on March 30, where he finished the weekend with a +16 score. Quinn hopes Tomé will break out of his shell after he recorded three birdies at the Princeton Invitational.
“We’re hoping to find consistency going into the AAC championships,” Quinn said. “I am really confident about the four players and finding that fifth in Mason could have us firing on all cylinders.”
Though golf is an individual sport, the team has grown stronger together as the season progressed. From staying within the Philadelphia city limits to going all the way to Puerto Rico and a shared goal, team chemistry has become a strength that is expected to show in the conference tournament.
“I think we’ve definitely had our fair share of experiences this year,” Morganti said. “We’re going to come in the most prepared we’ve been, so hopefully we can give it a good go down there.”
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