EAST LONGMEADOW, Mass.- Coming off back-to-back top 10 finishes, the Endicott men's golf team made it three straight, posting an eighth place finish at the Blazer Invitational on the par-70 Elmcrest Country Club.
Endicott recorded a two-day team score of 632 (309-323) to finish four strokes back of Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) foe Western New England and 10 strokes ahead of the other CCC institution at the Invitational, Nichols. Occidental took the title with a score of 595 while Salem State and Trinity College finished with scores of 606 and 609 to finish second and third, respectively.
Sophomore Drew Benshoff (Concord, Mass.) was the only Endicott golfer to fire a lower round on day two as he opened the tournament with a 78 before closing with a 76 on Sunday to finish 14-over and in a tie for 15th individually. The Massachusetts native originally sat tied for 23rd after the opening day.
Seniors Austin Teal (Loudonville, N.Y.) and Alex Viola (Brunswick, Maine) tied with three other golfers for 30th place after shooting matching two-day scores of 158. Teal opened with a 75 on day one, tied for the eighth best round on Saturday before posting an 83 on day two while Viola tied with Benshoff on day one with a 78 before posting an 80 on day two.
Ben Palazzo (Farmington, Conn.) was close behind, tying for 45th place with a two-day total of 162 while freshman Christopher Billings (Topsham, Maine) also showed well, finishing tied for 61st in the 100 man field with a score of 168.
TOP QUOTE
"We played pretty well on day one," stated head coach Tom Smith, "but day two we let slip away by continually hitting it off the tee into the tree-line forcing us to be blocked out for a clear shot into the greens. It's been three consecutive weekends of long road trips and we are looking forward to a short break while we regroup and prepare to focus on the CCC qualifier and our two upcoming fall majors in the ECAC's and NEIGA's. I have complete confidence in our guys and feel our best golf is right around the corner!"
INSIDE THE CARD
The eighth place showing as a team gives Endicott three top ten showings on the season when playing in tournaments with fields of 11 or more. The Gulls have now finished first at the 11 team Bowdoin Invitational, 10th at the 25 team Duke Nelson Invitational and eighth at the 20 team Blazer Invitational. In all of last season, the Gulls finished top ten in seven events throughout both the fall and the spring seasons.
WHAT'S NEXT
Endicott now has over a week to prepare for the CCC Championship Qualifier which falls on Tuesday, October 6. The event, hosted this season at the Halifax Country Club, pits the seven CCC schools in a one-day tournament as only the top four finishing schools qualify for the CCC Championship, held in the spring portion of the season. The winner of the spring Championship receives an automatic bid to the NCAA DIII Tournament. For the latest on Endicott Athletics, follow the Gulls on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
EAST LONGMEADOW, Mass..- Coming off back-to-back top 10 finishes, the Endicott men's golf team made it three straight, posting an eighth place finish at the Blazer Invitational on the par-70 Elmcrest Country Club.
Endicott recorded a two-day team score of 632 (309-323) to finish four strokes back of Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) foe Western New England and 10 strokes ahead of the other CCC institution at the Invitational, Nichols. Occidental took the title with a score of 595 while Salem State and Trinity College finished with scores of 606 and 609 to finish second and third, respectively.
Sophomore Drew Benshoff (Concord, Mass.) was the only Endicott golfer to fire a lower round on day two as he opened the tournament with a 78 before closing with a 76 on Sunday to finish 14-over and in a tie for 15th individually. The Massachusetts native originally sat tied for 23rd after the opening day.
Seniors Austin Teal (Loudonville, N.Y.) and Alex Viola (Brunswick, Maine) tied with three other golfers for 30th place after shooting matching two-day scores of 158. Teal opened with a 75 on day one, tied for the eighth best round on Saturday before posting an 83 on day two while Viola tied with Benshoff on day one with a 78 before posting an 80 on day two.
Ben Palazzo (Farmington, Conn.) was close behind, tying for 45th place with a two-day total of 162 while freshman Christopher Billings (Topsham, Maine) also showed well, finishing tied for 61st in the 100 man field with a score of 168.
Inside the Card
The eighth place showing as a team gives Endicott three top ten showings on the season when playing in tournaments with fields of 11 or more. The Gulls have now finished first at the 11 team Bowdoin Invitational, 10th at the 25 team Duke Nelson Invitational and eighth at the 20 team Blazer Invitational. In all of last season, the Gulls finished top ten in seven events throughout both the fall and the spring seasons.
What's Next
Endicott now has over a week to prepare for the CCC Championship Qualifier which falls on Tuesday, October 6. The event, hosted this season at the Halifax Country Club, pits the seven CCC schools in a one-day tournament as only the top four finishing schools qualify for the CCC Championship, held in the spring portion of the season. The winner of the spring Championship receives an automatic bid to the NCAA DIII Tournament.
EAST LONGMEADOW, Mass..- Coming off back-to-back top 10 finishes, the Endicott men's golf team made it three straight, posting an eighth place finish at the Blazer Invitational on the par-70 Elmcrest Country Club.
Endicott recorded a two-day team score of 632 (309-323) to finish four strokes back of Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) foe Western New England and 10 strokes ahead of the other CCC institution at the Invitational, Nichols. Occidental took the title with a score of 595 while Salem State and Trinity College finished with scores of 606 and 609 to finish second and third, respectively.
Sophomore Drew Benshoff (Concord, Mass.) was the only Endicott golfer to fire a lower round on day two as he opened the tournament with a 78 before closing with a 76 on Sunday to finish 14-over and in a tie for 15th individually. The Massachusetts native originally sat tied for 23rd after the opening day.
Seniors Austin Teal (Loudonville, N.Y.) and Alex Viola (Brunswick, Maine) tied with three other golfers for 30th place after shooting matching two-day scores of 158. Teal opened with a 75 on day one, tied for the eighth best round on Saturday before posting an 83 on day two while Viola tied with Benshoff on day one with a 78 before posting an 80 on day two.
Ben Palazzo (Farmington, Conn.) was close behind, tying for 45th place with a two-day total of 162 while freshman Christopher Billings (Topsham, Maine) also showed well, finishing tied for 61st in the 100 man field with a score of 168.
Inside the Card
The eighth place showing as a team gives Endicott three top ten showings on the season when playing in tournaments with fields of 11 or more. The Gulls have now finished first at the 11 team Bowdoin Invitational, 10th at the 25 team Duke Nelson Invitational and eighth at the 20 team Blazer Invitational. In all of last season, the Gulls finished top ten in seven events throughout both the fall and the spring seasons.
What's Next
Endicott now has over a week to prepare for the CCC Championship Qualifier which falls on Tuesday, October 6. The event, hosted this season at the Halifax Country Club, pits the seven CCC schools in a one-day tournament as only the top four finishing schools qualify for the CCC Championship, held in the spring portion of the season. The winner of the spring Championship receives an automatic bid to the NCAA DIII Tournament.
