Men's Golf Ninth at NYU Spring Invitational

Wong was NYU's low scorer on Saturday.

The New York University men's golf team is in ninth place after round one of the NYU Spring Invitational, which was held on Saturday, April 9, at the Forest Hills Field Club in Bloomfield, NJ.

The Violets shot 321 overall, finishing ahead of Clarkson University (325) and Farmingdale State University (332). In spite of being on the outside of the top five, NYU is only five spots away from third-place Stevens Institute of Technology (316). Skidmore College leads the 11-team tournament after shooting 299 on Saturday.

NYU freshman Qizhi Wong is in a seven-way tie for 15th place with his NYU-low score of 78.

"Qizhi is trying out a new driver that helped him get a better score than we expected," said Head
Coach Todd Kolean. "Unfortunately, he limped in the last couple of holes. Other than that, he had an outstanding day."

Junior Eric Tarakjian shot 79 and is in a tie for 22nd. Close behind, freshman Derrek Drozdyk finished in a tie for 25th place with a score of 81.

"The weather affected all the teams quite a bit," Kolean stated. "You saw a few scores that would normally be lower on a pretty playable golf course. But, a lot of good teams are still all a few strokes from one another."

Skidmore's Tim Manwaring is in the lead individually after registering a two-under-par 69 on Saturday.

HIGHLIGHTS:

- Senior Julius Oppenheimer is tied for 38th after shooting 82.

- A score of 83 has junior Matthew Love in a tie for 43rd.

- Rounding out the Violets' scorers was freshman Lucas Oberholtzer, currently in 58th place after shooting 86 on Saturday.

"We know this course very well," Kolean stated. "Our kids feel like they played the course well today. What it might come down to is everybody needing to play their respective game. They do not need to push. They just need to play the game we all know they know how to play."

Recap from Sunday:

Men's Golf Finishes Sixth at NYU Spring Invite

The New York University men's golf team concluded play at the NYU Spring Invitational on Sunday, April 10, at the Forest Hill Field Club in Bloomfield, NJ, with a sixth-place finish.

The Violets totaled 634 strokes this weekend after its 313-point effort on Sunday. They leap-frogged over seventh-place Stevens Institute of Technology (635), ninth-place Middlebury College (639) and 10th-place St Lawrence University (641), all of whom scored lower than the Violets on Saturday. Skidmore College wrapped up its two rounds with the low score of 603 to claim first place.

"It was a better day. We played very well," expressed Head Coach Todd Kolean. "Everyone on the team had a few big numbers on a couple of holes. If we can get rid of those troubling numbers, we would have probably been 10 shots better over the two days. We still managed to take advantage of the nicer day and improve our scores."

Freshman Derrek Drozdyk shot NYU's lowest score of the day and tournament with a 75 in round two and a 156 overall. He tied for 17th overall. Classmate Qizhi Wong found himself in a four-way tie for 21st after shooting 79 on the day and 157 overall for the tournament.

"Derrek is such a steady player," said Kolean. "From him, I just want boring golf: 18 holes gets you a 71. He had a boring -- meaning productive -- day today. Just a couple of bogeys. He is just so solid.

"It was a great tournament for Qizhi," Kolean continued. "He struggled a little bit coming in, and on today's second hole. To do that on the second and still keep your head to come in where he did is outstanding. He has such a solid swing."

Skidmore's Tim Manwaring remained atop the leader board with a total score of 143 after shooting 74 on Sunday to help his team take first place.

HIGHLIGHTS:

- NYU junior Eric Tarakjian tied for 28th by shooting 81 on the day and 160 over the weekend.

- In a four-way tie for 40th, junior Matthew Love moved up the leader board by shooting an 80 on Sunday and 163 overall.

- Senior Julius Oppenheimer (82) and freshman Lucas Oberholtzer (79) were a shot apart from each other overall, as they scored 164 and 165, respectively.

"We are coming into our own," Kolean stated. "It's supposed to be nicer weather up there (Saratoga Springs, NY) next week and we play better in nicer conditions. The players have gotten a few tournaments underneath them, especially the first-year players. I am optimistic about next week."

The Violets will be back in action at next week's Tim Brown Invitational which will be held in Saratoga Springs, NY, and hosted by Skidmore. The invite will take place on Saturday and Sunday, April 16-17.