Rain and sporting events do not mix well. This is a lesson that the golf team learned this week. After two rounds of play, the Greenbrier Collegiate Invitational ended early due to rain. Because the golfers completed two rounds, tournament officials declared the results to be final, and the Bonnies left Virginia a day earlier than they had planned.
While the team finished in a disappointing tie for 11th in the 13-team field, Freshman Corey Long played well for the Bonnies. He finished 37th in the 72-player tournament, with an eight-over-par score of 148.
Meanwhile, junior Josh Stauffer, who consistently leads the team, finished in a tie for 59th place, shooting a two-round total of 155.
Poor weather and inconsistent play led to high scores for the Brown and White.
“One of the difficulties we’ve been having is not being able to have two or three low rounds back-to-back,” sophomore Evan Sommer said. “If we were able to get three rounds in a row where we play very well, we’d have a chance of winning tournaments.”
Sommer’s roommate and teammate, Stauffer, agreed that inconsistent rounds led to the team’s struggles.
“We started out well in the first round and made a lot of birdies, which was good to see,” Stauffer said. “We got a little tired in the second round and lost focus, and that shouldn’t happen. We need to get more mentally strong and keep the pedal down.”
This weekend, the team will travel to State College, Pennsylvania to compete in the Rutherford Intercollegiate Invitational hosted by Penn State University. According to Stauffer, there is still work to be done before the conference tournament later this month.
“Our goals for Penn State are to get our games in shape for A-10s and keep building on our good things from the spring season,” Stauffer said. “[We will] try to get some of the last-minute kinks out before conferences and have a solid tournament showing this week.”
Sommer agreed with Stauffer, noting that there is a sense of urgency since only one tournament remains before the conference invitational.
“We are going to keep improving and finding our weaknesses,” Sommer said. “This is our last test to find out where we need to improve and to fine-tune our games.”
With the Atlantic 10 Invitational less than two weeks away, Sommer expects the team to be ready to play well and has one goal in mind: “We want to win.”
