Hoya Staff Writer October 6, 2006
After a promising fifth-place finish at the Adams Cup in Newport, R.I., Georgetown hoped to take a step forward in the short fall season, but instead, it found itself moving farther back.
The Hoyas suffered a poor second round at the William and Mary Invitational on Tuesday, falling from eighth to 15th place between the end of the first round and the final stroke. The Hoyas finished with a total score of 56-over par 896 on the par 70 course at Stonehouse Golf Course in Toano, Va.
College of William and Mary, which finished fifth, played host to the tournament.
“We did not play as well as we were capable of,” Georgetown Head Coach Tom Hunter said. “Our short game really held us back.”
Sophomore Tim Hager was Georgetown’s top finisher at a 12-over par 222. He finished in 36th place overall, 17 strokes behind tournament leader, junior Jordan Utley of fourth place Richmond.
Senior Tim Moynihan tied for 44th place in the field of 97 with a score of 224, 14-over par. Fellow senior Matt Busa tied for 50th place at 16-over par, 226, one stroke ahead of his teammate, freshman Donald Thomas.
Georgetown entered the second round in eighth place with a score of 296, just behind Old Dominion’s 291 and fourth place Richmond’s 290. Georgetown could not hold on to its fleeting success, however, quickly slipping to 14th place.
“After coming out of the Newport event [where the team finished fifth of twelve teams] we were very confident,” Hunter said, “but on our shots from inside 90-yards to the green we did not execute. Those kinds of shots that save you numbers really cost us in all three rounds.”
Georgetown’s mistakes caught up to them in the second round, shooting a 23-over par 303. The Hoyas recovered in the third round with a 296 but were well out of finishing in the top-half of the field after the second round.
Old Dominion won the tournament with a final round score of 3-under par 277 after coming from behind eventual second place finisher Loyola. Old Dominion finished at 2-over par 842 while Loyola faded down the stretch and saw its one-shot lead after the second round melt into a nine-shot deficit.
Loyola began the tournament with a stunning round of 280 – par for the course and 10 strokes ahead of the University of Richmond, its next closest competition.
While Loyola continued to play consistent golf with subsequent scores of 284 and 287, Old Dominion caught fire, shooting rounds of 274 and 277, making up 20 strokes on Loyola in two rounds.
The Hoyas’ next tournament is The Big Five Invitational in Philadelphia at the Philadelphia Cricket Club on Oct.14-15 where the team will face Villanova, Penn State, Penn and Temple among others.