AU Men's Golf completed its first main tournament of the fall season, the Cornell Invitational at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, finishing in eighth place.
The Eagles finished with a combined score of 913 (302-300-311), 34 shots off the leader's pace.
The men were led by sophomore Todd Shagin, who carded a 9-over par 225 (76-72-77) to tie for 19th place overall, 17 strokes off the lead. Despite closing with a disappointing 5-over on the final round, Shagin did not feel that the weekend was a total bust.
"The golf course we were playing was really nice, which made it a challenge," Shagin said. "We didn't play too well, but we can improve."
Shagin also said that he felt he played well on Saturday but that his performance dropped off in the second and third rounds.
The Eagles received strong performances from freshman Kevin Horan, who carded a 226, and senior Phil Kief who finished with a 230. Horan finished in a tie for 23rd place while Kief, earned a tie for 34th.
Rider University who won the tournament finishing with a combined score of 879 (282-289-298), seven strokes ahead of its nearest competitor, the University of Pennsylvania.
The individual first-place winner was Rider University's Josh Krumholz, who carded an incredible 208 to finish eight strokes under par and seven strokes beyond any competitor. Krumholz carded rounds 67, 68, and 73 en route to a dominating win.
After the tournament, Shagin reflected on what the team needed to do in order to improve.
"Putting was an issue all weekend," Shagin said. "I think everyone had some trouble on the green and we can definitely work on that."
The Eagles' next tournament is the Pirate Fall Intercollegiate, on Oct. 18-19 at the Bradford Creek Golf Club.
