The Rams started their 2015 season with a fourth place finish. (Shea/Flickr)
By Sam Belden
Fordham Golf’s Fall season began with a strong start this past weekend at the Ryan Lee Memorial Tournament. Despite losing three seniors in the class of 2015, the Rams turned in one of their strongest performances in recent memory, standing strong in a tie for second after the first day and ending up in a tie for fourth on the week. The host course, Tumble Brook Country Club, is a well-regarded par 72 located in Bloomfield, Connecticut.
The Rams burst out of the gate on Saturday. Their team score of 292 was just five behind Bryant, the first round leader, and ahead of all others but Rhode Island, who matched Fordham’s score. On Sunday, however, the other teams took some steps in order to go lower. While Fordham’s closing 294 did not constitute much of a step backward, five teams shot 290 or better on the second day — a far cry from just one on the first.
“We gave ourselves the opportunity,” said sophomore Joseph Trim. “That’s all we could ask for after the first round.”
Sophomore Matt Schiller led the way for Fordham. After opening with a 72, the Ohio native closed with a stirring 70 to tie for fourth and finished just one stroke out of sharing medalist honors. Trim, to his credit, shot rounds of 72 and 73 to tie for 16th, just four strokes behind the lead.
“This event really showed how much of a putting contest college golf can actually be. Had Matt or I made a couple of more putts either day, we could have won the individual title,” Trim said. “It’s tournaments like these that drive us to get back out and practice and prepare for our next event.”
Fordham’s other players did not fare as well. Sophomore James Mongey started solidly with a 73 but blew up to a 78 on the final day. Junior Fernando Morrett’s week followed a similar path, with rounds of 75 and 79 in that order. Freshman Tommy Hayes got his collegiate golf career off to a nightmare start with an opening 82, but he quickly regrouped and finished the week with a strong 73.
“I was a little nervous for my first couple holes, because it was my first event,” said Hayes. “By the end of the weekend, I began to feel a lot more comfortable.”
Junior Oscar Cabanas, competing as an individual, shot rounds of 86 and 76. His score was not counted as one of Fordham’s five.
After closing with an outstanding 6-under 282, Rhode Island came away with the tournament. Its top player, Joseph Leavitt, shot rounds of 72 and 69 and wound up as one of three co-medalists. Shane Crampton of Saint Francis and Joe Walp of Bryant were the others.
All in all, this event was the setting for a huge step forward for Fordham. Not only did the team register its best finish in almost a year, but it also did so with a brand new starting lineup, one without three seniors that played a huge role on the team, in terms of both golf and camaraderie.
In any event, the team members appear to be confident and ready to usher in a new era of Fordham golf — perhaps, even, a new era of winning.
“It is a big stepping stone for the rest of the year,” said Trim of the team’s finish. “We’re all good friends and want to see each other play well, but we also have the competitive drive to be the best. If we can continue with our solid play and feed off of each other, I don’t see any reason why we cannot continue with our great play.”
Fordham golf will see its next action on Monday, Sept. 21, at the Hartford Hawks Invitational. Building off of last week’s strong result will be the team’s main focus.
“Our performance this week was a great way to start the fall season,” said Hayes. “We’ll definitely take that momentum and confidence into our next event in Hartford.”
