Golf posts lowest 54-hole score since 2009 in fourth place finish at Temple
By Sam Britton, Sports Reporter
The Canisius University men’s golf team finished fourth at the John MacDonald Temple Invitational in Plymouth Meeting, Pa. this past week, marking their best performance of the season thus far. The 54-hole tournament featured 11 teams from all over the northeast, including two Metro opponents, Niagara and Rider, both of whom the Golden Griffins defeated.
After a Round 1 score of 300, the Griffs sat in seventh place heading into Monday afternoon. Just like their performance at the Little Three Invitational, graduate student Matthew Santini and sophomore Cole Thompson led the team after the first 18 holes. Thompson shot an opening–round 73, which was good for ninth, while Santini was right behind with a 74.
The morning round was a repeat of a few weeks ago all around for Canisius. Junior Chase Burgess, who shot a 79 in the opening round on Sept. 8, got off to a hot start, starting one–under through nine, but ended up with a seven over 77. Meanwhile, senior Mikey Takacs, also posted an impressive even–par through his first six holes, but multiple double bogeys had landed him with a 76.
After a less–than–desireable morning, the Blue and Gold came out swinging for their midday tee time, carding a team season–low 287. It was all about consistency in the second act, where Thompson, Takacs and Burgess all shot a 72. Santini just edged out the trio, shooting a 71. Heading into Tuesday, Santini and Thompson were tied for 15th overall, with Takacs and Burgess sat at 28th and tied for 32nd, respectively.
In the final round, the team shot a nearly identical 288, the second–best round out of any team on the day. Bouncing back after Monday morning, Takacs shot a one–under 69, highlighted by his four birdies. It was also the second–best individual round of the day, just shy of Temple’s Nicolas Pisarski, who shot a 68. Thompson carded a 71, shaving a stroke off his score in each round at the tournament. He jumped eight spots on the final day finishing tied for seventh overall out of 66 competitors. His six–over tournament was the best out of any Griff. Takacs, who jumped 19 spots, finished right behind him at seven–over and tied for ninth.
Burgess jumped 13 spots as well to tie for 19th as he finished the tournament with his lowest score of the three rounds, a 71. Santini did the opposite; an individual tournament–high 79 made him drop into a tie for 32nd.
After finishing ninth out of 14 in their last 54–hole tournament, the Griffs roared back in Plymouth Meeting, finishing tied for fourth with LaSalle. Their overall round of 875 was seven strokes better than a few weeks ago, and it was their best 54–hole score since they scored an 872 at the 2009 Bucknell Invitational.
Hosts Temple University won with an overall score of 862, 13 strokes better than Canisius. Individually, the aforementioned Pisarski, his teammate Travis Robertson and Drexel’s Harry Cohen tied for first at one–over. The invitational ended in dramatic fashion with Temple trailing the University of Delaware by one stroke heading into the final hole. Temple’s Mason Tome used his home–course advantage and birdied as Delaware bogeyed, giving the Owls the title.
The Blue and Gold will next head to the Southern Tier for the Matthews Auto Collegiate Invitational on Oct. 5 and 6, hosted by Binghamton University at the Links at Hiawatha Landing in Apalachin, N.Y.
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