PJAfter two canceled seasons due to COVID-19, Fordham Men’s Golf will finally get back on the course at the end of this month. March 31 marks the first day of the University of Connecticut Intercollegiate, the first event of four for the Rams and their first competition since Oct. 28, 2019. 

Fordham had a tough season last year, but they return a majority of their roster, including last year’s low scorer sophomore PJ O’Rourke. Tomas Nieves returns for a graduate year and will provide leadership to an otherwise young squad. They have the opportunity to improve upon their results from previous years, but it will be tough come Atlantic 10 tournament time given the stiff competition in the conference. 

The Rams are predicted to tie for 10th place in the A-10, according to the preseason coaches’ poll. They are tied at the bottom with La Salle University, well behind defending champion Virginia Commonwealth University who is projected to finish in first once again. 

The tournament this year will take place at Reunion Golf Resort in Orlando, Florida. The 54-hole event begins on Friday, April 30.

The season will be quick, with a 29-day turnaround from the first day of competition to the beginning of the tournament, so the three events that the Rams are scheduled to play in will be absolutely pivotal in moving their way up the A-10 leaderboard. After the UConn Intercollegiate and Ellington Ridge Country Club, they’ll finish their season out in Pennsylvania. April 12-13 marks the Wildcat Invitational hosted by Villanova University, and April 18-19 will be the Abarta Coca-Cola Collegiate Invitational, hosted by Lafayette College. 

However, the Rams will be at a disadvantage as Villanova, UConn and Lafayette have already started or will start playing well before the Rams. UConn placed first out of six teams at their event on Feb. 8 and 9 and will play five total events before meeting the Rams in their first event of the season. 

The short season will undoubtedly be tough for Fordham, but as long as the team and Rose Hill community stay healthy and can avoid a lockdown, they will have the opportunity to play in the A-10 Championship. The talent on this team is reflected in the scores, but they have not been able to string together consistent rounds from anyone throughout their Fordham careers. 

Their best finish last year was 10th out of 17 at the Ryan Lee Memorial in the first event last fall. The Rams fell off drastically after that, ending the fall with two last place finishes and a second-to-last place in the final event. Without the spring or fall seasons in 2020, the Rams will be looking to get off to a good start and stay there this time. The shorter season and short travel for their regular season events should make that easier than the typically longer fall season. 

As for predictions for this season, it’s hard to pick the Rams finishing anything above eighth or ninth place in the A-10 tournament. They need to show the consistency that has been lacking for the past few years in order to climb up the ranks. 

Stay tuned here for Ram Golf updates all season long!