In a large field of 14 competitors at the Sept. 19-20 Cornell Invitational, the Bison took 12th place. Connor O’Brien ’19 and D.J. Magee ’17 had low scores for the Bison over the two-day tournament. The Orange and Blue managed to have several low scores and a few top-20 finishers. Opposing teams included Princeton, Towson, Cornell, Siena College, and Saint Joseph’s-PA, who claimed the top five places, respectively.

“The first three tournaments have all presented different challenges to the players, including weather and lower temperatures as we move into fall, as well as playing up to 36 holes in one day. They have all done well, especially the freshmen, in managing these variables and playing solid golf all three weeks. All of the players are hungry to get back out there and start winning golf tournaments,” head coach Mike Binney said.

After the first day of play at the Cornell Invitational, the Bison posted scores of 300 and 298, leaving them in 10th place after 36 holes. O’Brien posted rounds of 72-73, which had him tied for 16th place at 3-over-par. Zachary Melnick ’17, J.P. Raftery ’19, Magee, Ashton Radvansky ’19, and C.J. Zachary ’18 also had solid performances for the Orange and Blue after day one.

“This year the team is really about our strength in numbers. Everyone is capable of putting up low numbers, which is making the team more competitive and all of its members better individually. We are realizing that we need to finish out the final round even stronger than we already are. Being able to fix this problem is easier said than done; however, I believe our very talented group will be able to break through for a win very soon,” Zachary said.

After the second day of play, the Bison concluded the tournament with a team score of 317 to take 12th place. O’Brien posted a final-round 76, placing him within the top 20 finishers. Magee’s score of 75 was the low round of the day for the Orange and Blue. Melnick finished with an 82, while Raftery shot 84, and Zachary 87.

“Our team has showed much potential in the first three weeks of the season. As a junior, this is by far the deepest team that I have been apart of,” Melnick said. “Each player on the team has the talent to contribute as much as the next player, and this has provided a very competitive atmosphere within our team. I would say the only thing we are missing is some more consistency in our lineup throughout each tournament.”

The Bison will continue their season on Sept. 25-26 at the Columbia Invitational.