The Georgetown men’s golf team finished third at the Big East championships held on Monday and Tuesday at the par-70 Warren Golf Course in South Bend, Ind. Junior captain Nick Cook led the Hoyas with a cumulative score of 227 that placed him eighth for the tournament.
The Hoyas entered the tournament as the third seed, a position they earned through their excellent play during the fall and spring. Only six of the Big East’s eleven teams qualified for the tournament.
Monday consisted of two 18-hole rounds played in less than ideal conditions. With the temperature hovering around 40 degrees, winds of up to 30 miles per hour and an “irritating rain,” Mother Nature provided as much a test as the course itself.
“It was the worst conditions I have ever seen since I began coaching,” said head Coach Tommy Hunter.
Despite the weather, junior James Farrah tamed the 7,000-yard monster in the first round with an even-par 70 that tied him for first after the morning round. Combined with Cook’s 73 and the 80 and 77 of first-years Matt Myers and David Erickson, the Hoyas found themselves just eight strokes behind Notre Dame and two strokes ahead of defending champion Virginia Tech.
“We hung tough. We found ourselves in second place, and we were loving life,” said Hunter.
The course’s extreme length for a par-70 requires good drives to allow for approach shots into the far-away greens. Hunter described the course as “very penal” for its punishment of errant tee shots. Where one might normally be able to save par or bogey after missing the fairway, often times at the Warren Course the best to hope for is a double bogey.
“If you get behind quick, namely if you don’t make a few pars or drop a birdie, you’ll find yourself on the other side of the fence,” said Hunter. “If you look at the guys who did well, they all dropped in a birdie at the start and did things to feel good about themselves.”
Despite taming the course for Monday’s first 18 holes, Farrah ran into trouble in the afternoon, stumbling his way to an 81. Cook fared no better hanging an 80 on the board.
“The second round was a coach’s nightmare, and something you never expect to happen, which is your top two guys have a tough day,” said Hunter.
Fortunately for the Hoyas, Myers and Erickson shot matching 74s to keep the Hoyas near the top of the leaderboard, and five strokes ahead of Rutgers for third place.
“We lost some ground to Notre Dame and Virginia Tech, and that took a little wind out of our sails,” said Hunter. “We thought if we played Georgetown golf, namely five good scores with two of them low, then maybe it was our turn to play well and their turn to play bad.”
Unfortunately, it simply wasn’t meant to be for the Hoyas. Cook shot a 74 to put him in eighth place and just one stroke off of his second All- Big East honor. Farrah, however, still upset by his previous day’s performance, shot an 81 to tie for 14th place with Myers, who followed his 74 with a 78. Erickson finished tied for 16th after an 82.
“It was disappointing because in the second round we sort of shot ourselves in the foot,” said Cook.
Despite the disappointing finish, the team will head to the Penn State Invitational with the chance to make their own destiny for the NCAA tournament. According to Hunter, the selection committee has suggested that the Hoyas are a strong contender for the fourth and final seed for NCAA regionals. Other contenders for the spot are Liberty, Navy and Princeton, all of which are slated to participate at Penn State this weekend. Should the Hoyas have a strong showing this weekend, they are a virtual lock for the NCAA regionals.
“We’re excited to be in contention to make the NCAA tournament, which is a situation we haven’t been in since I’ve been here,” said Cook.
Regardless of the team’s finish this season, they are poised for a serious run next year. The entire squad will return including two newcomers who should have an immediate impact. Tim Moynihan hails from Pittsburgh, Pa., and last year qualified for the U.S. Junior Amateur championship. Moynihan will be joined by Matt Busa from Cleveland, Ohio, who missed qualifying for the U.S. Junior Amateur by one stroke. According to Hunter, the pair’s tournament experience will mix well with a veteran team poised to make a move next season.
