Cornell Golf placed fourth over the weekend in the Cornell invitational — the Red’s home event in name only, as the match was played in Watchung, New Jersey, on Sunday at Watchung Valley Golf Club.
Temple won the tournament as the only team to finish under par, finishing two under with a score of 566. Colgate and Ivy League rival Columbia also finished ahead of the Red in team standings, placing second and third, respectively, while Princeton tied Cornell for fourth place.
“I wouldn’t say we are happy with our finish, but we are proud of ourselves for bouncing back on day two,” said junior Ben Choe. “Having our tournament at a different track other than our home course definitely was not to our advantage, but it shouldn’t have been a difference maker. Watchung is a great course and we are very thankful that we were able to host it there.”
Choe finished tied for 36th with a score of 76 on day two and a 150 total, after birdieing twice and not bogeying in his final nine holes.
Beyond Choe, who finished first out of all Cornell golfers in the Alex Lagowitz Memorial Invitational two weeks ago, several Cornell golfers had the best weeks of their collegiate career. Senior Noah Schwartz produced the best round of his college career on Sunday’s opening round, going one-under-par with a score of 70, which tied for sixth place individually. He went on to finish 12th individually in the tournament, representing another career best.
The best individual round score came in round two from junior Samuel King, who recorded the first sub-70 round for the Red since almost two years ago to the day. Though King was the only golfer to score sub-70 in a round, Schwartz had the best week overall.
“Senior Noah Schwartz had the best week,” Choe said. “He played great both days hitting 32 out of 36 greens. If he holed a few more putts he could’ve won the tournament.”
Junior Josh Lundmark was another golfer to turn in a career best. He birdied three times in the opening eight holes of day two on his way to securing his first collegiate round-under-par.
“I felt pretty solid going into this weekend,” he said. “Even though I struggled my first round, I feel like I was able to slow myself down and refocus very well, which allowed me to perform well my second round.”
Freshman Tyler Zimmer also had a career-best day, making a strong first impression by tying for 17th individually in his collegiate debut.
“My ball striking was far from perfect,” Zimmer said, “but I stuck to my game plan and missed in the correct places, allowing me to capitalize on birdie holes and save par on the longer ones.”
While Zimmer looked calm on the course, he said he was feeling the pressure on the inside.
“Going into the tournament, I was as anxious as I’d ever been for a round of golf,” he said, remarking that he hurt his back a few weeks ago. Zimmer said the camaraderie between teammates and opponents kept him calm and engaged.
“All five starters came to watch Matt and I play for the last eight holes, cheering loudly for every holed putt,” Zimmer said. “My playing partner from Lafayette even commented on how awesome this dynamic was, as most teams were sitting in their vans ready to leave.”
The Red has a short week of rest and practice before they play in the Macdonald Cup Invitational this weekend, hosted by conference rival Yale at their course in New Haven, Connecticut.
The finals standings for the Cornell Invitational are as follows:
- Temple (-2) 566
- Colgate (+6) 574
- Columbia (+11) 579
- Princeton (+12) 580
4. Cornell (+12) 580
6. Penn (+17) 585
7. Siena College (+18) 586
8. Saint Joseph’s (PA) (+21) 589
9. Binghamton (+26) 594
10. Lafayette College (+39) 607
11. Colgate B (+40) 608
11. Penn B (+40) DNF