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Men's Golf
Three in a Row! Bonnies capture Cornell Invitational
Sept. 30, 2007
ITHACA, N.Y. - Three tournament titles would be a great season for most collegiate golf programs. On Sunday afternoon at Robert Trent Jones Country Club, the St. Bonaventure golf team captured its third tournament title in the last two weeks. The Bonnies overcame a three-stroke deficit in the final round of the Cornell Invitational to finish seven strokes ahead of the 16-team field. St. Bonaventure posted its second straight 295 of the tournament for a 54-hole total of 878 (+14), seven strokes better than 2007 NCAA East Regional participant Longwood University (885). Host Cornell (889) finished third, while Bucknell (897) and Dartmouth (900) finished fourth and fifth, respectively. "This is as gratifying of a win as we've ever had," said head coach Steve Campbell. "The course was full of really tough pin placements and we did a good job of picking our spots where we could be aggressive." St. Bonaventure won the Little Three Invitational and its own Leo Keenan Invitational for its prior two victories. In this tournament, the Bonnies led the field with 50 birdies, including 17 in the final round. Longwood was the next closest team with 38 birdies. "Each tournament and each round we've had different guys stepping up. This is a tournament we've been close to winning in the past, so its extra gratifying for our seniors," Campbell said. "A lot of these guys have played this course several times in high school championships and other events, so that's was a real asset." Making their final walk through the course as collegiate student-athletes, it was seniors Ryan Swanson and Andy Whalen leading the Bonnies to victory. Swanson put together a spectacular round, carding five birdies en route to a three-under par 69. The Sherman, N.Y. native finished with a three-round total of 217 (+1), good for a share of fourth place. Whalen hit par for the second time in the tournament, carding a 72 to finishing in a tie for ninth overall at 220 (+4). The duo combined for 24 birdies over the 54 holes, including 11 today.
All five St. Bonaventure players finished amongst the tournament's top 20 individuals. Sophomore Nathan Peck carded rounds of 75-71-77/223 good for 14th place. Junior Brennan Payne joined Peck in 14th place by way of a 70-75-78 scorecard. Freshman Chris Stoddard contributed with a 77 Sunday to finish in a tie for 19th at 224. Siena's Dan Abbondandolo claimed medalist honors with a three-round total of 70-73-69/212 (-4). St. Bonaventure will enjoy a few weeks off until it travels to Charlestown, R.I., for the ECAC Division I Championship. |
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