Photo: St. Bonaventure Athletics
BY: LUCAS PANNOZZO, CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Second-round heroics allowed the St. Bonaventure men’s golf team to capture its eighth straight Little Three Championship at the Crag Burn Golf Course Tuesday.
The Bonnies fought off Canisius University’s strong first round, ultimately ending the day victorious by eight shots.
After the first round of play, the Golden Griffins led by four shots, posting a 4-over par 292. Meanwhile, Bonas fired an 8-over par 296, while Niagara University posted a 9-over 297.
In the second round, SBU clawed back, ripping an amazing 5-under par 283 score, with Canisius coming in at 7-over par.
This led Bonaventure to finish the day with a tournament-best 3-over par 579. CU finished at 11-over par, good for a total score of 587, and the Purple Eagles rounded out the field with a tournament-worst 27-over par 603.
Bonaventure junior Michael Bucko earned co-medalist alongside Canisius Sophomore Mikey Takacs. Both golfers came in at 2-under 142 on the day. Bucko’s first and second-round scores mirrored each other, as he shot back-to-back one-under par 71.
Bonnies freshman Dante Bertoni helped fuel the comeback after a poor first round of 7-over par 79. Bertoni caught fire, firing an 4-under par 68 in round 2, finishing with a total score of 147 and placing himself just outside the top five.
SBU’s junior Caleb Decker also played a pivotal role in the victory. Like Bertoni, he struggled early, starting his day with a first-round score of 78, but responded nicely in the afternoon round, firing a 2-under par 70.
Decker went on to post a 4-over par 148 and tied for seventh place with freshman teammate Braddock Damore.
The Bonnies will next be in action on Sept. 28 and 29, in Nashport, Ohio, to compete in the Virtues Intercollegiate, hosted by Miami University at the Virtues Golf Club.
pannozl24@bonaventure.edu
