Men's Golf Notches First Win

Two weeks after a sixth-place finish at the Doc Gimmler tournament, Harvard  men’s golf team finished first out of 11 teams at the Quechee Club Invitational in Quechee, Vt. The tournament recorded one of the team’s best individual performances and its first win since the beginning of the season.

This weekend’s competition was hosted by Dartmouth at the Quechee Club, where the Harvard team played on the Lakelands course on the first day and the Highlands course on the second. Round two at the Highlands course consisted of a 6840-yard course for 18 holes and a par of 72.

Having limited time for preparation, the team split into two groups, each practicing on one of the courses and then sharing with each other about what to expect from both.

“As a team, we just focus on trying our best at every shot regardless of what we cannot control,” junior Rohan Ramnath said. “We expect to be able to do our job every time and then whatever happens, happens. There is definitely room for improvement for many of us. But we are still leading the path [on the first day], which is nice.”

The Crimson bested Hartford, its closest competitor, by eight strokes. Both the Crimson and the Hawks  ended the first day with a score of one-over-par (289),  which put them tied for first. However, Harvard stepped up its efforts on the Highlands course on Sunday to out-stroke Hartford with a score of 285 (-3) to claim an uncontested first.

Harvard was the only team to notch a score under-par, as Hartford ended the tournament with a score of six-over-par.

“It is exciting to have the positive reinforcement of the things we have been working on when we do win,” sophomore Kendrick Vinar said. “I think it is really a product of doing things you can control well…and efforts of our team to continue to do the right thing.”

The Crimson’s newest players, freshmen Gregory Royston and Hale Furey, spearheaded the Crimson’s campaign by tying for second and fourth place finishes, respectively. Royston shot an even-par 72 on the second day after fighting back from a three-over-par score at the seventh hole to claim second place. His total score of 142 matched that of Paul Pastore on the Hartford team.

Furey, in his debut tournament for the Crimson, finished up with a score of 69 (-3) in his second round after a first round score of two-over-par to tie for fourth with Brandon Matthews of Temple University.

“We are led by freshman Gregory Royston from South Africa with a two-under-par 70,” said Ramnath at the end of the first day. “He played really well [and] definitely had a great demeanor about him and tied for third after [Saturday].”

Ramnath himself recorded a one-under-par at 71, despite scoring four-over-par on the ninth hole. He finished the tournament with a total score of 147 to tie for 14th place.

“We add up our scores for a team aggregate total, but the best thing that each player can do for the team is just to take care of things that they can do best,” Vinar said.

Vinar finished the tournament with a score of 146, tying for 10th with three players from Brown, Princeton, and Hartford.

University of Pennsylvania’s Austin Powell  achieved top honors in the individual championship with a total score of four-under-par (140). While both Pastore and Royston placed ahead of him in the first round,  Powell came back with a three-under-par score to solidify his first-place finish.

“[The match] is different for everybody,” Vinar said. “Each person communicates with the coach about what they are working on. Each player tries to put himself in the best possible position. We definitely work together and collaborate on strategy. At the end of the day, though,  it is really you and the golf course.”