By Jack McLoone
It is safe to say Fordham Golf’s fall season is not going well. Following the team’s last place finish at the Lehigh Invitational this past weekend, the Rams have finished in the cellar two tournaments in a row, and no better than 17th out of 20 teams.
“Even though the team is struggling, we are still having fun spending time with each other on the road,” said senior Josh Madarang. “We all keep a positive attitude; eventually that will lead to a good finish.”
As has been the case all season long, the lone bright spot for the Rams was Madarang, who tied for second, his best finish of the season.
As has been the case all season long, the lone bright spot for the Rams was Madarang, who tied for second, his best finish of the season.
“My ball-striking was great all weekend,” said Madarang. “I was never in trouble so it was easy to make good scores.”
Madarang shot an opening-round 72 on Friday and followed it up with a 75 on Saturday. The player he tied with, Cole Berger of Lafayette, shot the exact inverse: a 75 on Friday and 72 on Saturday. Lafayette finished 11th overall.
Outside of Madarang, the rest of Fordham Golf struggled mightily. Their next highest finisher was sophomore Anthony Wells, whose solid Saturday—he shot a 78—could not save his tournament from his opening-round 84. His 162 put him in a tie for 58th.
n 61st was senior Thomas Hayes, who shot an 82 and an 81 for a final two-round score of 163. Bringing up the rear—not just for the Rams, but the tournament as a whole—were sophomore Mithran Denbow and freshman Billy Harrison. The former finished 66th with a final score of 167 (84, 83), while the latter 67th with a 169 (85, 84).
Harrison was competing in an event for the first time as a Ram.
Iona was the top finishing team at the tournament, logging a 605. Fordham’s five shot a combined 639, 14 strokes behind the next finisher, Hofstra. The individual winner knew the course well: Owen Quinn of Lehigh shot a 68 on Friday and did just well enough with a 75 on Saturday to win.
The Rams have just one tournament remaining before heading to the clubhouse for the winter. Madarang hopes his team can get off the schnide.
“It is always important to finish strong, but I think we are even more determined to finish strong to make up for the last two events,” he said.
That being said, it will be a tough road, with less-than-ideal weather forecasted for during the week and especially the days of the tournament. Madarang hopes the adversity sparks some life in the fledgling squad.
“I want to see the guys show some mental toughness to grind through it,” he said.
The Metropolitan Intercollegiate Championship is on Oct. 28 and 29.
