Following a short turnaround since last week’s Sam Ryder Invitational, the University of Rhode Island’s men’s golf team returned to action on Monday for the Surf Golf and Beach Club Invitational, hosted by Appalachian State University.
Rhode Island has done well at the Surf Golf and Beach Club Invitational in recent years. The Rams placed 10th in 2022, ninth in 2023 and fifth in 2024, where third-year golfer Tony Liu placed fifth out of 110 players.
“If you know the golf course, it always makes a difference,” URI Head Coach Gregg Burke said.
Spanning two days, the event featured 18 colleges and universities. The schools played two rounds on day one and a single round on day two. Longwood University was the defending team champion after beating Appalachian by two strokes in 2024.
Five Rams, fourth-year captain Aidan O’Donovan, second-year Tyler Bruneau, third-years Bennett Masterson, Owen Rooney and Josiah Tong worked together to finish seventh out of 18 teams through three rounds of play.
Monday featured two 18-hole rounds, though play was suspended due to darkness. Teams needed to finish up the remaining eight holes of the second round on day two.
O’Donovan was atop the leaderboard for the Rams, who were perfect through 34 holes of play, tied for the lead at eight-under par, with 10 birdies. Tong also played strongly, sitting at one-under par with three holes remaining in his second round, including an eagle and a birdie.
“We played poorly the first day aside from Aidan,” Burke said. “It was simply the Aidan show, the first round.
Bruneau also had a solid performance for his first tournament of the year, sitting even with par to tie for 36th place. Rooney was nine-over par, but completed a strong second round, with 12 straight pars from holes three through 14. Masterson, playing his first tournament of the year, was three strokes behind Rooney.
After day one, the Rams looked to climb the leaderboard in the last 20 holes for the final round.
Rhode Island finished strong, shooting six-under par in the final round, moving up two spots on the leaderboard.
O’Donovan delivered a strong performance for the Rams, finishing tied for fourth place in the 107-player field. He finished the tournament 10 strokes under par and recorded under-par scores in all three rounds, showcasing his consistent play throughout the event.
“Second round, we got another great performance from Aidan and some real support from Josiah,” Burke said. “It may have been Aidan’s best tournament ever at URI. He was in total command of his emotions; he was in total control of his demeanour.”
Tong also had a great day on the course, jumping 16 spots up the leaderboard during the final round to go six-under par with six birdies. Four birdies came within his first five holes.
“It was one of the best rounds of the entire tournament for any player of any team,” Burke said.
Bruneau’s surge moved him up nine spots to tie for 33rd overall, with five-straight birdies to go two-under par in the final round. Rooney also played well and shot three-over par, while Masterson had his best execution to shoot five-over par in the final round.
“I thought Owen stepped up in the second round; he got 15 par, which was only three bogeys,” Burke said. “He played solid.”
After trips to Puerto Rico, Florida and South Carolina, Rhode Island will take a shorter trip to the Wildcat Spring Invitational in Galloway, N.J., on April 6, hosted by Villanova University.
The team first looks forward to resting for 10 days during the five-week break.
“I gave them the whole week off, Monday through Thursday,” Burke said. “Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. It’s going to be a good 10 days on their own, away from us, and us away from them. They’re all going to play somewhere in the south, most are going to Florida, and a couple are going to North Carolina.”
Rhode Island returns to the Wildcat Spring Invitational for the first time in four years. The Rams have performed well at this tournament in the past, with a 2022 fall victory and a sixth-place finish in 2023.
