The golf team will travel to Lopatcong, N.J. this weekend for the Lafayette Invitational. This two-day stroke play event will be held at the Architects Club golf course.
In the Red’s last outing, the team finished 17th at the Drew Upton Invitational in Maryland. Sophomore Matt Rymer placed the highest for Cornell, as he shot his way to a 22nd place finish. Five strokes were all that separated Rymer from a top-four finish.
Head coach Matt Baughan figures to play Rymer this weekend. In addition, senior captain Dave Nayak, sophomore Justin Watzka, junior Ross LaFleur, and senior Tim Roth will make the trip.
The Architects Club is a 6863-yard, par 71 course. It features bent grass greens, fairways, and teeboxes. The rough is made of fescue grass. The usage of bent grass is common for many of the golf courses on the East Coast, so many of the players will be familiar with the conditions.
The course has a fairly strong level of difficulty as indicated by the slope rating of 130. The non-metal spikes members’ policy should leave the greens in fast conditions. Both the front and back nine feature a pair of challenging doglegs that will test the players’ abilities to work the ball around the course.
The weather calls for light rain both days, which historically favors those who can hit the long ball. The rain, which will soften the greens and cause them to accept high approach shots, in combination with a lack of water hazards surrounding most of the greens will allow the players to fire straight for the pins. This means that there will be a premium placed on accurate tee shots to set up these approach shots.
These low-scoring conditions will favor those who are aggressive and can putt well. With a couple more good breaks this time around, Baughan’s troops can count on improving upon their last outing.
Archived article by Donald Lee