The Bobcats kick started their spring golf season by finishing in 25th place out 28 teams in a rain shortened event, the C & F Bank Invitational. Quinnipiac finished with a two-day total of 695 (345-350, +127). The invitational was hosted by William and Mary and played at one of the best golf resorts at Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, Va.
“It’s a great event, with 28 great teams,” head coach John O’Connor said. “It’s one of the premier college events each year. I was hoping for better results from our players, but it’s basically our first round of the season. We haven’t been able to get outside, but the weather at this time of year isn’t ideal. It’s very cold and we had some rain this morning and that’s make the course tough.”
The Bobcats sat in 24th place after round one with a total of 345.
Senior Kayla Ketcheson led the Bobcats with a two-day total of 162 (+20). The Manitoba, Canada native, carded a 7-over-par-78 to tie for 20th place out of a 150 player field in round one.
Ketcheson started the day with a par on the 10th or tenth hole. She did bogey six holes on the back nine, before making the turn and firing a 2-over-par for the front nine. Ketcheson helped her card with a birdie on the sixth hole.
Freshman standout Krissy Unger carded a 9-over-par-79 in the opening round to tie for 31st. The New York, N.Y. native struggled a bit on the back nine, posting three bogeys and double-bogeyed hole No. 12. However, the freshman settled down and rebounded with eight consecutive pars, before making a birdie on the sixth hole.
“I’m extremely pleased with the way Kayla and Krissy played today,” O’Connor said referring to the opening rounds. “Angelica played well and I expect Jenn Whaley to rebound and play much better tomorrow.”
Angelica Muscatelli fired a 92 in the first round, while reshman Alexa Gentile shot a 103. Jenn Whaley struggled in opening round with a 96.
Round two of the invitational was supposed to be another 18 hole round. Instead, the tournament was shortened from 54 holes through three days to 36 holes due to inclement weather in the Williamsburg area, with nine holes played over the last two days.
“We didn’t do as well as I hoped, but this was our first event of the season,” O’Connor said. “It was really the first time we got to play outdoors this spring, so it was very difficult for us. We lacked good feel around the greens, plus they were recently aerated and were very difficult to begin with. The course was very weathered, but everything that we did needs to be finely tuned.”
Ketcheson who tied for 20th on Sunday, carded an 84 for round two for a two-day aggregate of 162 (+20). The senior finished in 64th place out of a field of 150 golfers. Ketcheson bogeyed seven holes, and double-bogeyed one, on the front nine for the second round before closing with six consecutive pars to end her round.
“Kayla played pretty well today,” O’Connor said. “Alexa Gentile improved by 14 strokes form yesterday, I’m really proud of her. We have two weeks off, hopefully we can get outdoors between now and the Monmouth tournament and work to make some improvements.”
Gentile bounced back after double-bogeying half of the holes for the first round, to card a +18, 89 for the second round. Angelica Muscatelli also improved shooting an 91 to go along with her first round 92. Gentile parred her final three holes of the tournament.
Whaley struggled again in the final round with a 98 but will look to regain her fall form, when Quinnipiac returns to the links on Mar. 30-31 when it travels to Jumping Brook Country Club in Tinton Falls, N.J. to participate in the 2013 Hawk Invitational hosted by Monmouth University.
Boston College won the Invitational with a two-day total score of 598 (302-296, +30). The Eagles clinched the title by 11 strokes. University of Richmond overtook Longwood in round two with a 298 compared to Longwood’s round of 306. The Spiders carded a total of 609 (311-298, +41). Longwood rounded out the top three with a total of 612 (306-306, +44).
BC’s Vinh – Hoa Ngo fired rounds of 74-71 for a total of three-over-par 145. Hannah Pierce of Longwood was runner up with a two-day total of five-over-par 147 (73-74). Meghan Allum of Gardner-Webb rounded out the top three golfers with a six-over-par 148 (75-73).
