Men’s Golf competes well at Princeton Invitational

The Princeton Men’s Golf team completed a strong performance over the weekend at the 30th annual Princeton Invitational this past weekend, tying for the third place position with 42nd-ranked Georgia Tech and Yale. The Tigers, along with the Yellow Jackets and Bulldogs, finished the tournament at 10 over par, trailing eventual runner-up Harvard by only a shot. Though these teams fought hard, they were no match for the Duke Blue Devils, who dominated the tournament. The Blue Devils finished with a 34-shot lead over the runner up Harvard at 25 under par, en route to a very convincing victory.

The Princeton Invitational took place at the Springdale Golf Club on Saturday and Sunday and was scheduled to feature 54 holes overall, but it was cut to 36 due to predictions of inclement weather on Thursday. Though the weather shortened overall play, the Tigers were fortunate to even host the tournament this year on their home course. Due to bad weather last year, the tournament was played at Aronimink Golf Club, about 20 miles outside Philadelphia, and at the Merion Club, a closer 10 miles to the city. A host of teams competed in the tournament, including all of the Ivy League schools with the exception of Dartmouth, as well as the No. 20 Blue Devils and No. 42 Yellow Jackets.

With a strong field, first tee times were scheduled early at 8 a.m. in what can best be described as unideal golfing weather — the high on Saturday was a mere 41 degrees and the morning was even colder. Nonetheless, the golfers bore the elements. Sophomores Michael Davis and Marc Hedrick, who both received first-team All-Ivy recognition at the conclusion of last year’s season, led the Tigers following Saturday’s action. Davis stood at even par, tied for 10th in the overall individual field, while Hedrick was only a shot behind his teammate at +1, and tied for 16th overall. The Tigers finished the day as a team +8 and were one of five teams within only six shots of runner-up Columbia. Leader Duke held had first place in firm control, with its top three occupying the top of the leaderboard. Blue Devil Jake Shuman finished impressively at 6 under.

On Sunday, the Tigers improved upon their efforts, finishing with a collective score of 286 compared to their total of 292 on Saturday, effectively allowing them to jump two spots in the team rankings. Hedrick who really showed up for the Tigers in Round 2, as the sophomore cut four strokes off his total of 72 in Round 1 and finished at two under overall and sixth on the individual leaderboard. Michael Davis, who was leading the Tiger contingent following Round 1, slipped slightly, scoring 75 in the second round to end up at 28th individually. Sophomore Eric Mitchell, last year’s MacDonald Cup champion at Yale, was a major contributor to the Tiger’s comeback, as he dropped two strokes of his Saturday total to end up 16th individually. Though the Blue Devils won by a hefty margin, the Ivy League schools had much to show for, taking four of the top six team spots.

This was the Tigers’ last tournament before the Ivy League Championships begin at Metedeconk National Golf Club in Jackson, N.J. The Tigers were left heartbroken last year, after squandering a four-shot lead over champion Penn heading into the final day’s action. The final tally of Penn’s 885 to Princeton’s 886 will be looming over the Tigers as they prepare over the next two weeks. Last year’s individual champion Quinn Prchal and this past weekend’s promising showing prove the Tigers have what it takes to capture their second title in four years.