Coach Brian Quinn thinks John Barone has one of the best swings in college golf.
The redshirt junior made 11 birdies over three rounds of play on Saturday and Sunday and finished as Temple’s leading individual scorer in the team’s win at the Cornell Invitational in Ithaca, New York.
“[Barone’s] an awesome kid who’s just a pleasure to be around,” Quinn said. “He drove the ball well, and made putts when he needed to close things out.”
Barone, whose three consecutive rounds of 1-under par 70 were second only to Yale University junior James Nicholas, showcased the consistency Quinn preached about since summer. Temple shot a three-round total of 855, good enough for a one-shot team victory. The win is Temple’s first since the 2016 City 6 Invitational and Quinn’s seventh in his 11-year tenure.
Temple was one of five teams who finished 10 under par. Yale finished in second place, Cornell University finished in third, while St. Bonaventure University finished fourth and Dartmouth College placed in fifth.
Temple got off to a hot start on the 36-hole, two round Saturday, with a pair of 1-under 70’s by Barone and freshman Dawson Anders’ two eagles in the opening round. Junior Trey Wren shot 1-over 141 with five birdies in the first two rounds.
Temple’s worst round came Saturday afternoon when it shot 288, but it still positioned the team in third place going into the Sunday round. Quinn wanted his team to focus on finishing shots entering Sunday’s play.
“I told the guys that I came here expecting to win this tournament,” Quinn said. “We left a lot of shots out there, and we should be leading this tournament.”
The Owls took Quinn’s advice to heart, carding a team low 282 to propel it to the victory. Anders shot 68 in the final round to lead the team on the last day.
What separated Temple from the pack and ultimately proved to be a deciding factor in its one-stroke win was its capitalization on the par-5s. As a whole, Temple led the field in par-5 scoring, shooting 19-under par for the tournament. Temple’s 19-under par score on par-5s was 10 shots better than second-place Yale’s.
“Our ball-striking ability is a huge advantage,” Quinn said. “We counted a couple of bogeys on par-5s and still shot 19-under.”
Sophomore Marty McGuckin didn’t crack Temple’s lineup for the weekend’s tournament, but he still competed as an individual. He tied for 10th, shooting 214.
The Owls will be back in action on Saturday and Sunday at the Quechee Club Collegiate Challenge in Quechee, Vermont.
“We have eight or nine really high caliber players on our team that are going to be fighting to get in that lineup,” he added. “Competition breeds success, and that pushes everyone to get better, exactly what we need.”
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