Runner-up finish is best of season

Penn and Columbia have always been the teams to beat for the men's golf team, but after the Big Five Classic in Flourtown, Pa., this weekend, the Tigers can add another Ivy League rival to that list. Cornell claimed the Big Five team title on Sunday while Princeton tied Seton Hall and Boston College for second place in a 15-team field. It was the Tigers' best finish during the fall season by far.

The standings were tight the entire weekend, making every shot count. Going into the second and final round of golf on Sunday, Princeton was in fifth place but only eight shots off the leader, Seton Hall. With consistent shots, the Tigers pulled ahead of the Pirates but were bested by Cornell by a four-shot margin.

"Honestly, we were surprised we finished second," junior co-captain Drew Maliniak said. "Cornell was able to sneak away with it. They played really well; it's not like it was a fluke. We just didn't expect them to be that good."

Cornell's team was lead by freshman Matthew Jaye and senior Robbie Fritz, who both shot one under par over the weekend. It was Cornell's second consecutive win of the fall season.

The Tigers did accomplish their goal of beating both Columbia and Penn, the defending Ivy League champion, on its home course. While the Quakers were three shots ahead of Princeton after the first round, they ended Sunday with high scores.

"We beat some key competitors," sophomore Jake Skinner said. "It's huge beating Penn also, because it was on their home course that they play on everyday. But the bummer is that Cornell still won the tournament, so this new Ivy team is emerging."

On the individual side, Maliniak and sophomore Juan Candela were Princeton's highest finishers at eight over, good for ninth place. The top finisher, George Mason's J.J. Amoruso, finished at even par after at a pair of 71s.

"I had four birdies in my first 10 holes on the first day," Maliniak said. "Making that many birdies early on was really encouraging and gave me a really good chance to play well. I let it slip away a little bit on Sunday."

Candela, who has been struggling to find his rhythm in this season, broke through this tournament and shot his best scores of the year.

He is known for hitting strings of perfect shots interrupted by the occasional shank. This weekend, however, Candela was able to better manage his few mistakes. Much of his success can be attributed to his putting skills and his strong mental game. He had steady scores this weekend of 75 and 74.

"It was a good bounce back for him," Maliniak said. "He was pretty inconsistent last week. This time his tempo was a lot better. He hit some bad shots; but he responded to them this week. He doesn't let anything get to him."

Freshman Evan Harmeling had a great tournament, scoring 76 and 74 and tying for 13th. Next up for the Tigers was junior co-captain Max Schechter, who tied for 23rd with scores of 78 and 75. Skinner played with an injured left elbow and shot scores of 76 and 87, placing 65th.

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"We haven't had a tournament where the whole team has played really unbelievably or above our potential," Maliniak said. "We're getting to that moment, though: We're crouching tiger, hidden dragon."

Princeton has a weekend off before playing its final tournament of the fall season at the Old Dominion/Seascape Invitational in Kitty Hawk, N.C., on Oct. 29 and 30.