The Saint Anselm College golf team placed tenth overall in their last tournament of the year at the Mike Bello Invitational at Timber Banks Golf Club in Baldwinsville, NY.  The Hawks played both rounds on April 14.  The tournament was a matchup between 13 schools in a one-day, two round tournament.  

Each player completed 36 holes in the single day tournament.  The teams that participated included host Le Moyne College, Wilmington University, Franklin Pierce University, The College of Saint Rose, Goldey-Beacom College, Assumption College, Post University, Bentley University, Nyack College, Felician College, Saint Anselm College, American International College, Daemen College, and Saint Michael’s College.

The Hawks sent 5 players: sophomores Billy Argus and Steve Hunt, juniors Robert Cole and Thaddeus Link, and freshman Austin Coyne.  Hunt placed highest in the 36-hole tournament for the Hawks, tying for sixth overall.  Hunt shot a 77 in his first 18-hole round and a 74 in his second 18-hole round of the day.  When asked about his play at the tournament, Hunt responded, “I played pretty simple golf on my first 18 holes.  I couldn’t get much of anything going at first, but I started to play better in my second round and finished up with a 74 after my first 77.”

Robert Cole finished tied for forty-third overall after shooting an 84 in his first round, but following that up with a strong 79 in his second round of the day.  Asked about his second round, Cole responded, “I got off to a rough start in the first round, and my round reflected that. I put together a decent second round for a tournament this early in the spring season.  The course we played, Timber Banks, was really tough, but Steven Hunt played outstanding. It takes a lot to put two scores in the 70’s together this early in the season at a course like that.”  The camaraderie on the team was evident through multiple statements made by players on the team.

Freshman Austin Coyne tied for fifty-fifth overall with a first round score of 84 and a second round score of 85.  Coyne expressed his feelings on his rounds and Hunt’s great scores by stating, “It was a 36-hole in one day event, which we all knew was going to be a grind physically and mentally. I started off pretty well, especially it being the first time playing there. I had a few bad swings coming in that hurt. We then had to go right out and play another 18 holes and could not get anything going unfortunately. Steve Hunt had a great day out there, and we were all proud of him. We didn’t finish great as a team, but we all fought out there.  You can’t ask for much more.”

Junior Tad Link placed tied for fifty-ninth overall with scores of 87 and 84. Link’s comment on his play and the future of the program, “The course played very tough, and it was a long day out there, considering we were walking 36 holes. I think we have been improving our scores every year since I have been here, so I really like the direction we are going in right now.”

Finally, junior Billy Argus finished with scores of 88 and 84 on the day. This was good enough to finish tied for sixty-first overall.

The team expressed their frustrations in the 653 aggregate score on the day and the tenth place finish.  Some articulated their disappointments in the lack of practice rounds while others described course conditions as tough, and even others spoke about the long day as reasons for the high scores.  

Cole stated, “Obviously, we would have like to place a lot higher, but it’s really tough when you only have 2 or 3 rounds under your belt so far this season.”  Hunt told the Crier, “At the course we played we have always had some issues, so we knew playing 36 holes of golf in one day would be a lot. The weather was perfect so the only thing was the course.  The hardest part by far was playing all 36 holes without any break.”  Hunt went on to say, “Robbie (Robert Cole) said he was hitting the ball well, but he couldn’t get the putter going. This is proof that the course didn’t allow you to make many mistakes on the greens or off the tee.”

The team is hopeful for the future after this season came to a close on Friday.  Cole voiced his hopes by saying, “I’m really looking forward to the challenge this summer of continuing to work on my game while having a full time internship. Overall, we have a really solid team for next year, and have a goal of qualifying for the NCAA regionals.”  Link agreed, saying, “I think we will have a great season next fall, and we will all be working towards it over the summer.”

The Hawks will be returning all but three players to the team next year.  The three graduating seniors on the Hawks golf roster are Jack Ball, Joseph Czarnota, and Nick Markham.  None of the three seniors played in the last tournament of the year.