With Georgetown students enjoying the day off from class, the men’s golf team took to the course this Columbus Day to compete in the Richmond Intercollegiate Tournament held at the Independence Golf Club in Richmond, Va. Georgetown came away from the tournament with a solid fifth-place performance, posting a final team score of 14-over par 878.

The Blue and Gray were no match for host Richmond, though, as the Spiders finished four strokes ahead of James Madison with a final score of 855 to capture first-place honors.

For the third week in a row, Georgetown failed to escape a problem that has plagued them all season long – underperforming in the opening round. The Hoyas opened up the tournament with a combined team score of 303, third-worst among tournament competitors.

In keeping with this season’s theme of second-round resiliency, Georgetown rebounded with one of the best rounds not only this season, but in Georgetown golf history. Led by junior Taylor Hall, the Hoyas shot a combined 278, the second-lowest team score of the second round.

“We continued to struggle in our opening round, which created a bit of separation from the team leaders,” Head Coach Thomas Hunter said. “Yet our second round was simply one of the best rounds of golf a Georgetown team has ever played.”

The extraordinary round was put together with contributions from every member of the team. Hall posted a 6-under par 66, while sophomore Curtis Loop and senior Danny Hathway shot 2-under par 70s. Senior Brandon Ellis turned in an even par 72, and junior Brian Dorfman shot a 3-over par 75.

The standout rounds turned in by the Hoya golfers put Georgetown in position for a strong finish both in the team competition and individual play.

However, Georgetown failed to replicate their second-round masterpiece in the final round, shooting a collective 297. This final round 10-over par left Georgetown in fifth place, a bittersweet finish after the decrepit first round but near-immaculate second round.

Despite the mild disappointment of the final round in comparison to the second round, Hunter was still very happy with his team’s performance.

“We finished fifth of 12 teams and anytime we can come away with a top-five finish we are very pleased,” Hunter said. “Our final round was a solid round but not strong enough to erase the deficit we placed upon ourselves from the opening 18 holes,” he added.

From an individual perspective, several members of the Blue and Gray turned in notable performances. Hall, Ellis and freshman Charlie von Arentschildt all earned top-20 honors. Hall led the way, finishing with a 1-under par 215, good for ninth place. Ellis finished two strokes and five spots behind him in 14th place, with a 217. The rookie of the group, von Arentschildt, ended the tournament in 16th place with a 2-over par 218.

No individual performance from the tournament came close, though, to the second round play of Taylor Hall, who is sure to help the Hoyas try to come away with a win in the last of their fall action.

“We had a number of terrific individual performances, but Taylor Hall’s second round 66 was outstanding,” Hunter said. “We are looking forward to closing out the fall season on a high note as we prepare for our own Georgetown Intercollegiate at our home course, the Members Club at Four Streams.”

The Hoyas will play host to the Georgetown Intercollegiate at the Members Club at Four Streams in Beallsville, Md., on Monday, Oct. 18 and Tuesday, Oct. 19.