By Sam Belden
This past weekend, Fordham Golf put the finishing touches on what has been the program’s best season in recent history. The Rams placed fifth at the Atlantic 10 Championship at the Villas of Grand Cyprus in Orlando, Florida, their best finish at the event in more than a decade. That result, along with the team’s win in the Lehigh Valley last month, stands as a highlight of a strong campaign for head coach Paul Dillon’s squad.
“Over the winter offseason, we looked at our rankings,” said sophomore Joseph Trim. “We knew that if we took care of what we need to do practice-wise, we could win a tournament and make some noise at the A-10 tournament, which we did.”
The Rams turned in a consistent performance in the Sunshine State, shooting rounds of 302, 301 and 309 to hold their position in the top five throughout the week. As was the case for most of the year, sophomore Matt Schiller led the way for Fordham. He shot twin 73s in the first two rounds to put himself in a tie for fifth but faded on Sunday to fall into a tie for 14th. Trim also had a solid week, signing for rounds of 74, 79 and 73 en route to a tie for 17th.
The other Rams found themselves further down on the leaderboard. Sophomore James Mongey and freshman Tommy Hayes ended up with the same score, tying for 34th. Mongey failed to break 80 in his bookend rounds but managed a solid 73 in between, while Hayes did the inverse, performing solidly on Friday and Sunday but shooting an 85 in the second round. Junior Oscar Cabanas tied for 46th to cap the scoring for Fordham.
Heading into the week, Fordham, as a non-scholarship program, was not expected to be a factor, but Trim says that the low expectations may have actually helped the team’s performance. “I think a major key for us was the chip on our shoulders,” he said. “We were projected to finish last in the Atlantic 10, which we thought was, being honest, ridiculous. We knew we were a much better team than some other schools and we were excited to get out there and show everyone just how good we can be.”
VCU won the event, securing its third conference title in a row, as well as the A-10’s automatic bid to NCAA Regionals. The team was four strokes off the lead after the opening round but closed with twin 292s to beat second-place Richmond by seven strokes. VCU’s Adam Ball was the medalist for the second straight year, winning by six strokes over teammate Steffen Harm.
Given its success this season, Fordham appears to be in a good position going forward. All of its players will be returning next year, making for a more experienced roster.
“We have a very solid group of guys,” said Trim. “The team is trying to build a culture that can stay with the team after we graduate. With the win and finishing in the top half in the A-10 tournament, we have gotten our foot in the door.”
The Rams will be back in action this fall. The roster will feature a batch of new recruits, but they may have trouble nudging their way into the current lineup. Either way, the entire team will be chasing the same goal.
“I want to win [the A-10 Tournament],” said Schiller. “For Fordham, for our coach and for my teammates. Nothing is going to stop me from working as hard as I can to do that. It showed this year, for all of us.”
Trim shares this resolve. “I think in the next couple years, we can continue this upward trend and hopefully make a solid run at winning the Atlantic 10,” he said. “It will take a lot of work, but all of us believe we can get it done.”