Temple men’s golf team finished ninth overall in the Cornell Invitational in Ithaca, New York, last weekend. Columbia University came in first place.
The Owls started the tournament with sluggish play, as they closed on Saturday placing thirteenth overall. The Owls picked up some momentum on Sunday.
“After Saturday, I was a little bummed out about how we finished our morning round,” coach Brian Quinn said. “We just kind of wasted a lot of shots, but we’re young.”
Junior Dawson Anders led the team throughout the weekend, shooting a two-over 73 in the first round and shooting a one-under 70 in the third round. Anders ultimately finished the tournament shooting 217, tied for 14th place among individuals.
Junior Liam McGrath started out the tournament with below-average play, but had an improved third round on Sunday, as he shot a two-under 69. McGrath finished the tournament tied for 36th.
Sophomore Conor McGrath, Liam’s brother, put up the second-best scores on the team. He began the tournament shooting a four-over 75 in the first round and finished with a two-over 73 in both the second and third rounds. McGrath finished the tournament tied for 29th.
Freshman Graham Chase shot a five-over 76 in both the first and second round. Chase closed out Sunday shooting a two-over 73. He ultimately finished tied for 40th.
This year’s team is very young in terms of collegiate golf experience, Quinn said. With half the team being freshmen and sophomores, the golfers have to learn on the fly, Quinn said.
“[Sunday], the last five holes was some of my most rewarding time as a golf coach,” Quinn said. “They all just hung in there and finished strong, made a lot of birdies coming down the stretch.”
Quinn believes that once the team becomes more acclimated to the travel schedule, and builds more experience in playing collegiate golf, the program will see good results.
“I’m really excited about this group of kids,” Quinn said. “If I do what I’m supposed to do as a coach, I hope that we turn the corner sooner than a lot of other young programs out there.”
The Owls will next compete in the River Run Collegiate in Davidson, North Carolina, on Sept. 23-24.
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