Fordham Golf competed in their fourth outing of the season on Oct. 16-17 in the Sacred Heart University Fall Classic located at Great River Golf Club in Milford, Conn. The following weekend, the Rams were back in action again at the Lehigh Invitational in Pennsylvania.

The SHU Fall Classic was the best performance by this Rams roster all season long as the fall season’s conclusion is quickly upon us. Highlighted once again by seniors Nicholas Manning and P.J. O’Rourke, Fordham placed third of eight programs after day one and ultimately finished fifth overall.

The Rams’ day one third place finish featured birdies galore for Manning, who accumulated a team-high four birdies and was one of just seven golfers in the contest who finished with a score under par. Manning sat at two-under 70 and maintained a tie for fourth place heading into play on Monday. O’Rourke, tallied his fifth par or under round in day one behind his three birdies and three bogeys. O’Rourke left the course Sunday in a tie for eighth place and on pace for a season-best placement.

Another top performer from the day one festivities was sophomore Jake Mrva. Mrva continues to grow as a collegiate golfer as he compiled three birdies on the day, carded a score of two-over and completed his round in a lone standing of thirteenth place.

Day two of competition didn’t see the same fortunes for the Rams as day one, however. Fordham finished the outing in fifth, dropping two spots from Sunday’s play. O’Rourke posted a career day, as the senior recorded his third career top-five finish, carding a score of 74 and concluding tournament play just two-over with a 146 score. Manning couldn’t find the same stroke he had on Sunday, but still maintained a very respectable standing at the finish line. Manning posted an 11-over score on Monday and finished in a tie for 19th place in the outing. Senior John Kryscio had himself a day on the links as the senior tallied a team-high five birdies in the second round of play, setting up a tie with senior teammate Andreas Aivazoglou for 25th place. Overall, Fordham’s fifth place finish was their best all season long.

The Rams went back into action during the Lehigh Invitational this past Friday and Saturday at Saucon Valley Country Club in Bethlehem, Penn. This time around, however, the Rams couldn’t capture the same magic as they did at Great River Golf Club. O’Rourke continued his great stretch as the senior, for the second consecutive week, had the best placement on the Fordham roster.

Day one in Bethlehem saw the Rams in 14th place of 15 contestants. O’Rourke concluded his first round in a tie of 18th place, collecting just two birdies. He was one-over on both 9’s with both of his birdies coming in the last six holes of the round. Kryscio carded a score of 79 on day one and entered play on Saturday in a tie for 52nd place. Kryscio notched three birdies to his name which was a team-best to cap off day one play.

It was almost another historic finish for O’Rourke as the senior just barely missed out on a second consecutive top-five finish. O’Rourke concluded the invitational in a tie for sixth place, shooting an even par with five birdies on Saturday. He recorded seven birdies in the tournament, which was good for the fifth-highest tally of all competing golfers. Manning and Mrva shared a tie of 65th place with their identical overall scores of 161. Kryscio was unable to replicate his success on day one as the senior would drop 24 spots to 76th place at tournament’s end.

The fall season has progressed rapidly for the Rams as the team’s final weekend of competition looms. Fordham has one final meet next weekend where they will compete in the Metropolitan Intercollegiate Championship hosted by Wagner University at Montclair Golf Club on Monday, Oct. 31 and Tuesday, Nov. 1. This is the Ram’s last chance to make some waves in the golf scene.