Princeton seventh at W&M

After an up and down performance over the past two days, the men's golf team finished in the middle of the pack at the Jon Agee Invitational yesterday, but topped Ivy rival Columbia by over 20 strokes for a welcome confidence boost. Senior captain John Sawin was the low Princeton finisher, taking fifth place with a 1-under score of 209, and the team as a whole took seventh in a strong field of 18 at the William & Mary-hosted tournament.

The Tigers entered the final round in fourth place, clustered in a group chasing leader Loyola and second-place Old Dominion. While Princeton individuals suffered some large numbers on individual holes during the final day and ultimately lost ground to several teams, they remained well ahead of Ivy League competitor Columbia, who had eclipsed the Tigers by a considerable margin last week at the MacLaughlin Invitational in Bethpage, N.Y.

"On a week where the team's play was inconsistent at best, we can feel very good with the way we matched up versus Columbia," Sawin said. "We needed to send a message to them that last week was a fluke, and I think through beating them by over 20 strokes we did that."

Freshman Juan Pablo Candela, originally from the country of Colombia — not to be confused with the defeated Ancient Eight rival — and playing in just his second tournament, was also a standout for the Tigers, following Sawin in 15th place with a score of 213.

Another freshman, Tom Klingman, had a promising performance, as well. His final round 2-over 72 left him third among the Tigers with a score of 222, good enough for 36th place overall.

Head coach Will Green saw the early season play of his freshmen, all but one of whom has competed already this year, to be a sign of the depth that may very well accompany this young team — featuring six underclassman compared to just two upperclassmen — as they get more college experience under their collective belt.

"It's a difficult adjustment to make coming to the collegiate golf level, no matter what background or experience a player may have," Green said. "The fact that the adjustment thus far has been relatively effortless for our freshmen is an excellent sign for the rest of the fall and spring."

The golf course this week, known as The Tradition at Stonehouse, featured wide fairways, large greens and minimal water. While straightforward at first sight, the thick underbrush lining many fairways, as well as the heavily contoured greens, made for some lost balls and the more than occasional three-putt.

"We often found ourselves hitting greens in regulation, but leaving 50 feet between us and the hole." Sawin said. "It's difficult to make birdies that way, which is what we had to do if we were to remain in contention."

The Tigers take two weeks off from tournament play before traveling to California to play in The Prestige Tournament on Oct. 16-17 in Palm Springs. They will meet hosts Stanford and UC Davis, as well as a number of other strong West Coast teams at the famed course.