The University of Rhode Island golf team continued their impressive start to the 2019 season by tying for second place at the Dartmouth Invitational in New Hampshire this past weekend.
Rhody and the Bucknell Bison were tied at the finish, with a two day and two round team total of six-under par 562. They both came in behind the Dragons of Drexel by a total of five strokes after the final round on Sunday, when they shot an 11-under 557. The host Dartmouth was the only other team to finish in the red numbers, with a four-under 564.
At Hanover Country Club, a par 71 and 6,472 yard track, the URI individual golfers fared well, with Chris Francoeur finishing at six-under. These rounds placed the junior in a tie for third place overall among a field of 75 golfers, continuing his excellent start to the year. His teammate, Sophomore Brandon Gillis, rocketed up the leaderboard and was able to earn himself a 4-under finish, tying for fifth overall.
“Chris played very well again,” Head Coach Gregg Burke said when speaking to GoRhody.com. “Brandon has begun to shake off the rust.”
After coming off a week where he earned co-medalist and A-10 Rookie of the Week honors freshman Bryson Richards started strong on Saturday, then slightly faltered on Sunday. He finished in a tie for 16th, carding an even par 172. “Bryson has shown tremendous potential,” Burke said to GoRhody.com. “But we have to remember he is just a freshman and has a lot to learn.”
Rhode Island entered the final day with a two stroke lead over Drexel and had high hopes going into Sunday.
“As awkward as this is to say, five-under is the worst we could have scored today,” said Burke on GoRhody.com. “Tomorrow’s final round has nothing to do with the other great teams in the tournament and everything to do with how well we play.”
However they saw it slowly diminish as the final round went on. Sophomore Austin Fox shot 4-over during the two rounds to finish in 32nd overall while junior Jordan Brajcich placed 57th place after shooting nine-over. The redshirt senior Jason Short shot 11-over to come in tied for 64th.
In the tournament of 12 teams, fellow A-10 member Saint Joseph’s ended the tournament at 8-over which gave them seventh place, while Fordham finished in last place with a score of 30-over.
The Rhody golfers hope to continue the solid start to the season at White Manor Golf Club in Malvern, PA as they will compete in the Wildcat Fall Invitational, a two-day event, hosted by Villanova.