Hershey Country Club, located in Hershey, Pa., hasn’t exactly been kind to the UR golf team as of late. Last year, the men finished eighth in a field of 15 teams at the country club’s Mid-Atlantic Region Invitational, and this past Sunday and Monday, the ‘Jackets placed ninth out of 15.
“This weekend’s tournament was a bit of a struggle,” head coach Dan Wesley said. “We knew we would need big help from both of our veterans, but we came up a little short.”
UR got a strong performance out of senior veteran player Stephen Goodridge, who finished ninth individually. Freshman Ryan Williams also showed promise. He shot a 17-over 161 over the course of the two-day tournament and finished tied for 34th place.
On the first day, the invite was played on the West Course of the country club, where par is 71. The course was tough overall. Wesley College was the only school to finish the day with a team score under 300, shooting a 298. St. John Fisher College followed close behind, shooting a 302 through day one. UR finished tied for eighth place with a team score of 314 – a total that is computed based on the four lowest scores for a given school.
Three ‘Jackets were in the top half of the field after day one. Goodridge tallied a five-over 76, putting him in 13th place individually. Williams sat in 25th place after shooting a 78, while fellow freshmen Kevin Gay and Chris Driscoll took finished round one with scores of 79 and 81, respectively.
Day two proved even more difficult for the field of golfers. The teams moved to the East Course, where par is set at 73, and only 23 out of the 75 golfers were able to shoot scores under 80. Tim Kefalas of Gettysburg College was the only player to score under par with a score of 72. Goodridge shot a 76 for the second straight day, finishing the tournament with an eight-over 152.
Fisher’s Scott Harris Jr. led his team to a first-place finish. Harris won the individual title, shooting a one-over 145, and Fisher took the team title with a score of 607.
After Goodridge, UR’s next five players all shot below 170 over the course of two days. Gay finished with a 164 through 36 holes, and Driscoll shot a 167.
“Our three freshmen [Gay, Driscoll and Williams] played hard but were on a course they hadn’t seen before and probably got caught up trying to do too much,” Wesley said. “I like what I see from them, and their scores will soon start to reflect their ability, which is extremely promising.”
UR’s next tournament is this upcoming weekend, when the team travels to Orlando, Fla. to compete in the University Athletic Association Championships hosted by the Orange City National Golf Club.
Hilfinger is a member of the class of 2010.
