After some up-and-down results and dissatisfaction, it seems like golf is beginning to scratch the surface of what this year’s special team is capable of.
“Individually, we all had good weeks. Before this week, our team had an issue where one of us would play well, but we struggled to do it together,” said senior Ben Choe. “This week, we all had really good weeks and multiple people had great rounds.”
This past weekend, the Red traveled through the Adirondacks to compete in Columbia’s Autumn Invitational in Lake Placid, New York, in a pool of ten talented rosters. While the team has definitely been trending upwards, last week senior Noah Schwartz emphasized that it had not been satisfied with its performance and that “it’s very exciting to think about what can happen if we put it together.”
On Oct. 2, Cornell put it together and scored the best 54-hole score in team history — a combined 851, good enough for one-under-par and third place in the tournament.
“We’re a very deep team — everyone is super talented. We know that we can rely on each other because anybody on this team can post numbers,” Choe said. “Actually seeing that talent come to fruition is extremely motivating for us, especially because we know that most teams aren’t as deep as we are.”
It was Choe who led the way with a score of 8-under-par, but he was not the only Cornell golfer who placed in the top five. Senior Josh Lundmark, who was holes away from winning the Cornell/Temple invitational, placed fifth with a score of three-under-par across all 54 holes.
The pair was assisted by senior Sam King, freshman Wes Warden and Schwartz, who stayed consistent and were able to keep their scores within four strokes of each other.
On the last day, Cornell shot the best out of the field with a 283 behind scores from Choe and Lundmark, who both submitted a 69 on the par-71 course, and Wes Warden adding a 70.
“While it’s nice to have the record, we really just want to win,” Choe said. “We were only eight strokes away from taking the tournament, which is less than one per round. We know it’s attainable, and we’re going to keep working hard to make sure that we can take a tournament home this year. The record is cool, but we still placed third. Everybody on the team would trade it for a win in a heartbeat.”
Cornell will end its fall campaign at the Bucknell Invitational in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, next weekend.