By Jimmy Sullivan

The Fordham men’s golf team competed in its second event of the spring season and finished in 9th place out of 19 teams at the Wildcat Invitational, which was hosted by Villanova University in Malvern, Pa. on Monday and Tuesday.

The Rams were in fourth place after the first round of the tournament on Monday. Senior Matt Schiller fired a first-round 70 to lead all Fordham players. Senior Joseph Trim, sophomore Tomas Nieves and junior Josh Madarang all shot a 74 in their first rounds of play, and they were accompanied by a first-round 75 from senior James Mongey. Things looked good for Fordham after 18 holes; they were in fourth places and ten strokes behind Drexel for first.

However, they were unable to sustain their hot start during play on Tuesday.

Trim, consistent as ever, led all Rams players with a 73 on Tuesday. Mongey shot another 75 on Tuesday, and both players either matched or bettered their first-round scores. No other Rams could say the same of their day two performances.
Schiller followed up a first-round 70 with a 78 in his final 18 holes. Nieves shot a 76 in round two after doing two strokes better on Monday, and Madarang finished his tournament with a 78.

“We did not play our best these last two days. I can speak for myself in that I was a little off in all facets of my game,” Mongey said. The Rams ultimately finished ninth at the tournament behind Binghamton University, Lehigh University, Delaware University, St. Peter’s University, Iona College, St. John’s University, Rhode Island University and the eventual tournament winner, Drexel University. This is the second event of the spring for Fordham; they finished in 6th at the Albarta Coca-Cola Lehigh Valley Collegiate Invite on Easter Sunday last week.

Also competing at the Wildcat Invitational were Siena College, Rider University, Wagner College, Bucknell University, Monmouth University, Villanova University (the host school), Le Moyne College, Lafayette College, La Salle University and Colgate University.

Freshman Mithran Denbow competed for the Rams as an individual and shot rounds of 76 and 83. The highest individual finisher for Fordham was Trim, who tied for 23rd place with a 147 over both days. Schiller finished tied for 29th, Mongey and Nieves both tied for 43rd and Madarang finished in 58th.

Next up for Fordham is the Yale Spring Invitational on Saturday, which will be a one-day, 36-hole tournament. After that, they have the 54-hole Rhode Island Invitational next Monday and Tuesday before the Atlantic 10 Tournament April 27-29.

“I think because the spring season is so quick and after a long winter, we are all trying to find our game leading into the A-10 Tournament,” Mongey said. “Hopefully, we will all peak then.”

The Rams need to get things going in the last two tournaments of the season as they head into the Atlantic 10 Tournament. If they do, they will be peaking at the right time, just like Mongey and the rest of the Rams hope to.