By Sam Belden
Coming off of a sterling spring campaign, the Fordham golf team has struggled to continue that success this fall. After finishing 15th out of 19 teams at the Hartford Hawks Invitational last week, the Rams traveled to Vermont over the weekend to play in the Quechee Club Collegiate Challenge, where they placed 12th out of 15.
Junior Matt Schiller led the way for the Rams for the third time this season, finishing in a tie for 17th. While he got off to a slow start with a 76, his closing 72 was among the low rounds of the day. The second-lowest average scorer in program history, Schiller’s play has been a major asset for Fordham this fall.
Sophomore Josh Madarang and junior Joseph Trim found themselves near the middle of the individual leaderboard, tying for 46th and 49th, respectively. Madarang opened with an 80 on Saturday but managed to tie the low round of his collegiate career in the final round, signing for a 75. Trim started out with a 76 before fading to an 80 in the final round.
The other Rams finished near the back of the pack. Junior James Mongey failed to break 80 in both rounds, shooting scores of 82 and 81 to finish in a tie for 74th. Sophomore Tommy Hayes opened with a 79 but closed with an 89, finishing in a tie for 80th. Senior Oscar Cabanas, playing as an individual, tied for 71st after rounds of 83 and 79.
Rhode Island won the event, edging out Harvard by a mere two strokes. Chris Houston of Rhode Island was the medalist, shooting twin 70s to come out on top by a single stroke. Teammate Billy Walthouse held a share of the 18-hole lead after an opening 68, but he could manage only a 73 to follow it up, falling into second place.
The host track, the Lakeland Course at the Quechee Club, is a 6,671-yd par 72 with a links-style design. It was designed by the late course architect Geoffrey Cornish, though Brian Silva did a renovation in 2012.
The Rams will return to action this weekend at the MacDonald Cup in New Haven, Connecticut. They will then have three weeks off before their fall finale at the Lehigh Invitational.
