Earlier this week, the Georgetown men’s and women’s golf teams hit the road for their second tournaments of the spring season. The men’s team competed at the Golden Horseshoe Collegiate hosted by William & Mary on March 23-24, while the women’s team headed south for the City of Oaks Collegiate hosted by NC State on March 22-24.
Despite a strong start, the men’s team did not carry their initial momentum through to subsequent rounds, taking home another mid-field finish. The Hoyas placed sixth out of twelve teams after three rounds of 284-296-301 for a total score of 881, 29-over par, across two days of competition. The host William & Mary clinched the top spot, recording a total of 850, 2-under par, and twelve strokes ahead of runner-up Villanova.
Leading the Hoyas this week was sophomore CJ Winchenbaugh, who shot a total of 217 strokes with scores of 70-75-72. Winchenbaugh finished tied for 20th out of a field of 86 at William & Mary and continues to be a consistent asset for the team this year after a solid top 50 finish in the previous tournament.
Sophomore Alan Rose and freshman Carson Erick finished 26th and 33rd for Georgetown, carding totals of 219 and 222 respectively. Erick has made the competing team of five every tournament this year so far, putting on strong performances in his first year — especially considering his standout second place finish at the ODU/OBX Intercollegiate in the fall Rounding out the lineup, junior Barnes Blake placed 53rd with a 229, while senior captain Carston Judge finished 71st at a total 236.
The men’s team have proven capable of contending in multiple events this season, notching a win at the Georgetown Intercollegiate and a runner-up at the ODU/OBX Intercollegiate. Though strong individual performances have stood out, the Hoyas could benefit from more consistent scoring throughout the lineup.
The women’s team has had a rocky start to this spring season, and looked to turn the corner heading into the tournament at Lonnie Poole GCS this week in North Carolina. Georgetown came in seventh in a field of thirteen teams, scoring rounds of 309-299-316 over three days of competition for a total of 924 (60-over par).
The top performer for the Hoyas was graduate student and captain Georgia Ruffalo, recording 78-74-78 for a total of 230 at 16-over par. Anchoring the lineup throughout the season, Ruffalo continues to lead the team with strong, consistent results.
One shot behind her teammate, sophomore Catherine Qiu posted 231 and finished 22nd for her top result this season so far. Freshman Sunny Wang placed 27th, posting a three-day total of 232 as Georgetown’s third-best finisher. Consistently ranking among Georgetown’s top performers in her first season, Wang also delivered a tie for fifth earlier this season that led Georgetown to a runner-up finish.
Graduate student Milla Sagel and sophomore Gabby Eifrig finished tied for 35th and 68th with scores of 234 and 244, respectively, highlighted by Sagel’s team-low of 72 in the second round. As was the case with the men, the host, NC State, took home the trophy with an overall score of 888.
With the spring season underway, both teams are trending in the right direction as they improve in execution in recent performances. Up next, the men’s team heads to Galloway Township, New Jersey for the Wildcat Spring Invitational, hosted by Villanova from April 6-7. The women’s team will remain close to home, competing in the Terps Invitational in College Park, Maryland, from April 5-6.
