Red Golf Starts Strong, Falters on Second Day

The golf team traveled to Galloway Township, NJ this weekend to compete in the last tournament of their season, the Ivy League championships. The Red competed against the seven other Ivy League schools over a two-day, 54-hole competition. The Red put up a low second round score of 300 but could not continue its hot streak and finished the weekend with a total score of 933, which left it in a 5th place tie with Princeton. Columbia captured the championship with a final score of 900; 9 strokes better than 2nd place Yale. [1]Sand between your toes: Senior Austin Lord attempts to break free of the bunker during this year’s Cornell Invitational. The Red ended the season with a 5th place finish at the Ivy championships.

Similar to the Ivy Championships last year, the course proved to be difficult for the Red, who put up scores of 317, 300 and 316 in each round respectively.

“The course was very difficult,” said senior Robbie Fritz, who led the Red with a total score of 226, good for 6th place individually and All-Ivy honors. “I know for many, it may have been the most difficult course they have played on in competition,” Fritz said. “If you hit one bad shot, you were penalized; and in some cases, penalized severely. The wind on Sunday made a tough course even tougher.”

However, although the Red desperately wanted an Ivy championship, they seem to be happy and proud of the season as a whole which included two 1st-place finishes—at Penn and at Delaware.

“The conclusion of the weekend, although a little disappointing, was an end to Cornell golf’s best season ever,” Fritz said. “We know we have the talent to win, as proven at Penn’s tournament and the University of Delaware’s tournament, but we just didn’t pull through this weekend. The season as a whole should be looked at with great success and lots of pride for the team.

I am extremely proud of what the golf program has accomplished over the last four years that I have been a member. Our two team-wins this year capped off my competitive career quite nicely. I now look forward to playing social golf where dirty jokes and drinks at the 19th hole are more prevalent than pin sheets and rules officials.”

The golf team has clearly made long strides as a program in a short amount of time. The leadership of seniors Chad Bernstein, Robbie Fritz, Austin Lord and Bret Perry, along with Coach Baughan, has allowed the program to greatly improve, making it possible for Cornell to compete for the Ivy League Championship.

“The weekend was extremely special because all three senior captains were competing. Ivy’s this year represented an end to a great four years of collegiate golf for Chad, Bret, and myself.” Fritz said. “I will greatly miss the car rides to and from the tournaments with Coach Baughan and the team. Because the team only consists of 10 players with 5 that travel, the team is a lot like a family.”