The Yellowjackets headed into the McDaniel Invitational this past weekend hoping to finalize their fall season the way it was previewed in their first three matches. Despite all the signs, the players were unable locate their magic on the Piney Branch Course. The team shot a combined total of 642, 322 strokes in the first round and 320 strokes in round two, to tie for fifth out of a field of eight other teams.
Junior Stephen Goodridge finished runner up to George Washington University’s Juan-Pablo Zulaga. Goodridge completed his first round one over par with a 73, just one behind Tyler Smith from Wesleyan College.
Goodridge slipped a little in his second round performance cupping a 75, but still maintained his second place standing at the end of the evening. Goodridge finished the tournament with a 148, tied with Zulaga.
Despite the same overall score, Zulaga’s second round score of 72 was enough to sling-shot him over Goodridge in the leader board standings.
Sophomore Jon Pecor placed 20th in the field with back-to-back scores of 82 in the tournament.
Senior Joe Derrigo finished just behind Pecor with 165 stokes. His first round was an abysmal 86 stokes. However, he got a better grip the second time through with a 79. Derrigo’s 13 strokes over par knocked him down to 24th overall.
Rounding out the field for UR were senior Chris Wuest, who shot 83-84 for a weekend total of 167 strokes, and freshman Brandon Isobe who carded two rounds of 84 en route to a 168.
The Yellowjackets were geared toward crossing the finish line on top of the leader board, but incurred a flat tire near the end. They finished the fall season with top place finishes in three out of their five tournaments, yet it was the last two leaving an unsavory taste. The team has five months of hibernation to look forward to before they can brush off the snow and hit the courses again.
Serafini is a member of the class of 2008.
