Tough tourney sees men finish last

Freshman week isn't just about catching up with friends and moving into dorm rooms. For the men's golf team, it's also about playing 216 holes of golf in 10 days to prepare for its first tournament of the season.

The Tigers kicked their season off early with the Gopher Invitational outside Minneapolis, Minn. Princeton competed at this exclusive 12-team tournament for the first time, facing perhaps the toughest field the Tigers will see all season. The field lived up to its reputation, and Princeton finished last, but the Tigers still made progress in facing challenges including a difficult course, a competitive field and a rigorous training schedule.

Princeton's five-man team consisted entirely of sophomores and juniors. There are no seniors on the varsity squad, and the freshmen were unavailable due to the orientation events. Sophomore Juan Pablo Candela was the Tigers' highest finisher at 16-over. He placed 39th, followed by junior Max Schechter at 56th and sophomore Greg Stamas at 59th. Sophomore Jake Skinner and junior Drew Maliniak finished 64th and 65th, respectively.

Lamar University, which is the No. 3 team in the country, won the par-72 tournament 20 strokes under its nearest competitor. Out of the 12 teams in the draw, six are ranked in the top 50 in the nation, while Princeton is 204th in the polls.

Despite the odds, the Tigers had moments of greatness. Candela had nine birdies over the course of the weekend, including six in the first 18 holes. He also shot an impressive 71 in the first round on Saturday. Only six other players scored below par during that round.

"Candela's first round was definitely the bright spot of the weekend," Skinner said. "He's playing with the best players in the nation, and he's showing that he can contend with them. Juan is in a nice rhythm and is working on his consistency."

Schechter came in second for Princeton at 23-over, though he did not perform at the top of this game because he is modifying his swing. He is hoping to perfect his technique in the next few weeks. Third for the Tigers was Stamas at 25-over, who topped his competitors with a well-tuned short game.

Skinner and Maliniak rounded out the squad, both scoring 81 during the second round. They hit the ball well, though the numbers didn't reflect it.

"This will make us work harder," Maliniak said. "It takes a lot of focus to play the national powerhouse teams. We hope to get invited back next year so we can show them how much we've improved."

Coming off a tough week of practice and preparation, the Tigers were more tired than expected and weren't as prepared for the tournament as they would have liked.

"We should have played a lot better," Skinner said. "Since it's the first tournament of the year, we're not worried about it. It comes at such a weird time, before classes even start. It's like running a marathon before a sprint."

The Tigers will test their young squad next weekend at the McLaughlin Invitational at the Bethpage State Park in New York.