A hard fought West Chester golf team finally has its first tournament victory this fall; the team put together a tournament to remember.
The Bud Elwell Fall Classic was captured by the Golden Ram’s golf team this past weekend. The tournament took place at Peek’n Peak Upper Course Findley Lake, NY. This is a par 72 course with a total yardage of 6,936. West Chester led the tournament after day one, something they have not done all year.
Freshman Zach Boe came up clutch once again this week with an opening round score of 71, one under par. Fellow freshman Andrew Patterson followed suit with his found of one over par, 73. Patterson would be tied for fourth overall after day one. Junior, Eric Slawter, signed for a score of 74 on day one. He would be tied for seventh overall individually. Fellow junior Corey Smith carded a 75 for day one’s action. Ryan Fogel, also a junior, shot a four over par, 76, on the day, however his score would not be added on to the team’s overall score. Sophomore Zach Dilcher shot 76 as an individual in this tournament.
After day one, West Chester led the tournament with a team score of 293. This is the lowest score the team has had since Sept. 30 of last season. The Golden Rams have not held a first place lead all season. They would enjoy the six stroke cushion over Waterloo.
Day two arrived and so did a victory for West Chester. It seems to be the story all season that a freshman steps up in the clutch along with the veteran leaders; there were two of these freshman this weekend. Patterson had an even par performance on Monday with a 72. This score would give him a 36 hole total of 145.
Patterson would also enjoy his second place finish individually. Boe did not have the same success he had on day one with his five over par score of 77. However, this would not stop him from placing fourth overall in the tournament with his 36 hole score of 148, only three strokes behind his fellow freshman teammate.
Slawter also carded a 77 on the day. He would finish the tournament with an overall score of 151 and a tie for seventh place on the individual leaderboard. Smith would move up four strokes from his previous day’s performance as he shot a 79. This would leave him with a 154 and a tie for 12 individually. Fellow junior, Fogel, would go up three strokes from his previous day’s score with a 79. He would finish with a 155 over the two day tournament. Dilcher, competing as an individual, shot an 82 on day two. He would finish with a 158.
The Ram’s golf squad should be proud of this victory. Every golfer shot under 80 on both days of the tournament. West Chester has had problems with the day one scores this year; however, this tournament they finally broke out with very impressive numbers for day one.
This momentum would carry them into day two where they eventually sealed the deal on this victory. The freshmen on this team seem to play a big role in the team’s overall success. With performances from Patterson and Boe, this team was able to easily take the Bud Elwell Fall Classic for the second time in three years. The performance of these freshmen players so early in their involvement with the team offers tremendous hope for the team’s competitive success in the years to come.
This tournament’s victory was West Chester’s first since they won the Hal Hansen Invitational last season on Sept. 10. On another note, this is the fourth tournament victory under the Ram’s head coach Harry Hammond. Hammond took over as the head coach in 2007. He should be very proud of his recruitments for this season. His seniors and juniors have done a great job so far this year leading the team, but he has to be very pleased with his freshman and sophomore contributions.
West Chester is set to compete in the PSAC championships coming up on Oct. 19 -20. This will complete the team’s schedule for the season. The team is hopeful the momentum from this last victory will propel them to their first PSAC championship since 2006. Last season, West Chester posted an overall score of 593 as they would end the season in a third place finish for the championship. The tournament will be held at the Hershey Links in Hershey, Pa.
Michael Murphy is a first-year student majoring in communication studies. He can be reached at MM802071@wcupa.edu
Sat. Apr 27th, 2024
