After the rain shortened Northeast regional tournament at the Links of Erie Village, the teams had thought they had seen the worst of the weather. Unfortunately, the final northeast regional tournament at Ravenwood Golf Club proved everyone wrong.
The six competing teams went into the start of the tournament knowing that day one would be a bear. Winds were gusting up over 30 mph with temperatures right around forty degrees. Play at Ravenwood proved to be extremely tough as pins were tucked and conditions left little room for error. As a result, bogeys, doubles, triples, and quads proved to be more common than usual. In the end of round one, only Buffalo’s Andy Burns managed to break 80 shooting a stellar score of 76.
At the end of day one, SUNY Delhi had the lead at 419 led by strong efforts from Daniel Sciarrino and Matt Grochala who each fired 81. Syracuse trailed close behind at 422 led by an 80 from Brad Monroe. Buffalo was also hanging around with a first day score of 427.
Day two of the tournament started much more optimistic as the sun was out and the immaculate shape of the course could be seen.
SUNY Delhi proved to be a model of consistency throughout the day as they were able to post four guys in the low eighties, which on another very cold day, proved to be their ticket to victory. Their 407 on day two that gave them an overall 826 in the tournament, which left Syracuse and Buffalo in the dusk. They had three players place in the top eight using their depth to weigh down the competition.
The close battle ironically came down to the fight for second. After a strong day two showing from the Buffalo team led by a 79 from Jeremy Bartula, Buffalo tied it up with Syracuse. It came down to the seventh man’s score to give Syracuse sole possession of second place, which would be crucial in the bigger picture.
Senior Brad Monroe out of Syracuse snuck up on Burns with a day low 77 to claim medalist honors. The business major from the local Syracuse area struggled on the front nine of day one, but never looked back after making the turn.
“Knowing that Brad was coming off a strong summer of competitive golf, and with his determination, I knew he could easily win and he did just that,” says senior Syracuse president Bram Berkowitz.
With a win at the Links of Erie Village and a second place finish at Ravenwood, Syracuse qualified for the NCCGA National Championship at the Barefoot Resort in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
The Syracuse team looks forward to potentially competing and showcasing their talent against some of the best club golf teams in the country.