Endicott Athletics and Recreation

    • Endicott Golf Battles Challenging Field at Duke Nelson Invitational

    MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – The Endicott men’s golf team climbed three spots after their day one performance at the Duke Nelson Invitational to finish 10th among 25 New England programs at the par-72, 6,376-yard Ralph Myhre Golf Course.

    Endicott Golf Battles Challenging Field at Duke Nelson Invitational
    September 20, 2015

    Duke Nelson Invitational Results

    MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – The Endicott men's golf team climbed three spots after their day one performance at the Duke Nelson Invitational to finish 10th among 25 New England programs at the par-72, 6,376-yard Ralph Myhre Golf Course.

    Endicott carded a two-day team score of 631 (324-307), just two strokes behind the host Middlebury Panthers and three strokes behind Western New England, the only other CCC institution in the field. Williams (614) finished five strokes ahead of Babson to take the tournament team title. RPI and Salem State followed by a three-way tie by Rochester, Skidmore, and Trinity (Conn.) rounded out the top five.

    Sophomore Drew Benshoff (Concord, Mass.) shot in the 70s on both days to lead Endicott over the weekend as he finished in a tie for eighth place overall. Benshoff shot a 79 on day one before he pulled off an impressive one-over par round two to help the Gulls improve their team standing. Senior Austin Teal (Loudonville, N.Y.) after shooting an 80 on Saturday walked off the 18th-hole on Sunday three strokes better to finish in a tie for 22nd place individually.

    Freshman Christopher Billings (Topsham, Maine), senior Alex Viola (Brunswick, Maine), and Ben Palazzo (Farmington, Conn.) carded in the low-80s in both rounds over the weekend and will look to rebound in the team's next outing.

    Top Quote

    "Coming off a big win at Bowdoin last weekend the one issue I was concerned about was letting expectations get in the way day one of the Duke Nelson tournament at Middlebury," said head coach Tom Smith. "Golf is such a mental game that sometimes expectations get in the way of execution and I think the combination of high wind and expecting to play well hurt us day one. Day two we showed what a resilient squad we have by bearing down and shooting the second lowest round of the day of 307 only being topped by Skidmore at 306.  I'm extremely proud of our guys by going out and showing the field what a talented group we are.  To put up the tournaments second best score on day two with such a strong field at the Duke Nelson is one of our biggest accomplishment yet in my tenure as coach! The future is bright and we are planning to play our best golf in the upcoming weeks ahead!"

    Inside the Scorecard

    In 2014, Endicott placed 17th out of the field of 25 schools at the Duke Nelson Invitational after struggling on day one with a team score of 337 on the challenging Ralph Myhre Golf Course before improving dramatically on day two with a 316. Endicott's 2015 was equally as up-and-down with a 324 on day one, thanks to high winds, and a miniscule 307 on day two.

    What's Next

    Starting on Saturday, September 26th, Endicott will compete in the two-day Blazer Invitational at the Elmcrest Country Club. Action beings at 10:00 a.m. on both rounds over the weekend. 

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