The golf team couldn’t pick up where they last left off in the fall. Instead, they found themselves in a stupor throughout most of the McDaniel Nike Spring Invitational, which was held this past weekend in Gettysburg, Pa.
The Yellowjackets had completed their fall schedule with top three finishes in four of their five tournaments and looked to continue to build from it in the second half of their season. However, for reasons unknown, the team had trouble finding the green.
“Our bad start was surprising and disappointing for all of us,” head coach Richard Johnson said. “We had a good spring trip to get the rust off and the weather has been pretty good, so we have been able to practice. No excuses.”
The Yellowjackets put on a horrendous performance in the first round, closing it out 44 strokes over par to place seventh out of a field of 12.
The team rebounded in the second round, shaving off 29 strokes from their first round outing. However, the improvement was only able to bolster the team to sixth place in the standings.
Despite most of the follies committed, sophomore Jon Pecor held it together. Pecor carded a 76 in his first round to put him four over par. Like many of his other teammates, he was able to best that outing in the second round with a 71 to give him three over par for the tournament and put him in a three-way tie for second place.
While Pecor has always shown skill on the course, it has typically been overshadowed by his teammate, junior Stephen Goodridge, who usually manages to capture the top of the leader board. This time, however, Pecor was the one on top, exuding a form of control that has always kept him above average.
“Jon played well both days, but putted a little better on Sunday,” Johnson said. “In tee to green, his game is excellent, and putting is not hurting him either, but he would like to make more of the good birdie putts that his tee to green game is giving him.”
Not too far behind Pecor was the reigning NCAA Division III champion Goodridge, who holed an 82 the first round, but fought back in the second round with a 73. Goodridge’s 11 over par performance tied him for 15th place in the standings.
Warner School student Chris Wuest followed up not too far behind Goodridge.
Wuest completed his first round with 87 strokes and shaved off nine strokes in the second. He exited the tournament 19 strokes over par, which placed him out at 34th.
Junior Matt Cairo finished the first round the same as Wuest at 87. He also made adjustments in the second round, carding an 83. His 26 strokes over par led him to a 45th place finish.
The Yellowjackets got off to a rocky start in the first round, but, in the second, they did some fine-tuning and picked it up, ending like a top three finisher. With three regular tournaments left, one regional and one national, the team has a lot of wiggle room to define itself. They will do so this weekend at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Invitational.
Serafini is a member of the class of 2008.
