by Jimmy Sullivan
The Fordham Men’s Golf team looks to pick up where it left off in the fall when it starts its spring slate at the Lafayette Invite on April 1-2.
The team had a strong fall showing, highlighted by an opening-weekend win at the Ryan T. Lee Invitational and third-place finishes at the Bucknell Fall Invitational and the Lehigh Invitational. The team was spearheaded this spring by seniors Joseph Trim, James Mongey and Matthew Schiller, all of whom averaged under 75 per round in the fall. Mongey also earned two Atlantic 10 Player of the Week nods and won the Lee Invitational with a four-under 140, three strokes ahead of the second-place finisher. That tournament was the only team victory of the season for the Rams.
In terms of his approach as the spring season approaches, Mongey had this to say: “I think my sense of urgency, knowing it’s my last semester of golf, will help me keep my performance up. I know myself and the rest of our team, especially the seniors, have some pretty high goals for the season and A10s, and we are looking to finish strong.”
However, the fall season wasn’t all positive for Fordham. The team fell into a cold spell at the end of September and finished 11th and 12th, respectively, at the Quechee Invite and the Yale Invitational to close out the month. “I feel like we can improve on everything honestly. I can’t remember a time where myself, Joe and Matt all played our best during the same week,” Mongey said. “We have a lot of good young players and Tommy Hayes’ return will help. We are all very competitive amongst each other so that will bring out the best in us.” The team corrected itself, though, towards the end of the season and picked up back-to-back third place finishes at the Bucknell Invitational and the Lafayette Invite in October.
Of course, while the trio of Mongey, Schiller and Trim are skilled and accomplished, the Rams will also need contributions from other players if they want to ascend to new heights this spring. This was perhaps best evidenced at the Lee Invitational. While the senior troika was a combined two-under par, they were not the only ones to turn in solid performances for Fordham. Sophomore and Miami native Tomas Nieves as well as junior Josh Madarang both fired a 36-hole score of four-over, and freshman Mithran Denbow finished at just five-over. With the three seniors playing as well as they did, the Rams were dangerous. With the entire team clicking, the Rams were deadly.
That being said, it will be interesting to see how fresh the Rams are when they begin play at the Lafayette Invite. While having over five months off can help a team get healthy and rested, there is something to be said for not having played a tournament in that long of a period. The break likely served Fordham well, but it remains to be seen how they will start the season once April comes around.
The Rams’ spring season begins on April 1-2, when they take part in the Lafayette Invite in Hellertown, PA.
If the Rams’ stellar seniors play up to par, the team will be competitive. If those seniors get help from some of their rising underclassmen, the squad may very well be unstoppable.
Now, the team looks to pick up where it left off in the spring.
