This past weekend, the Lafayette Men’s Golf Team was one of 13 teams to be invited to the Alex Lagowitz Memorial hosted by Colgate University. In their first action since last May, the Leopards placed 11th out of the 15 teams. The Leopards finished with a team score of 895, equivalent to 31 over par.

The other 11 teams came from a variety of conferences: two Ivy representatives, five Patriot League representatives, two Big East representatives, an Atlantic 10 Representative and an MCAC representative. Both Seton Hall University and Colgate University brought B Teams.

“The toughest challenge is that we are upgrading the level of tournaments that we are playing in, which introduces a new challenge as we are playing on harder courses,” senior Ryan Tall said.

After the first round, the Leopards held 12th place (304), just two strokes back from 10th place. In the second round, the Leopards shot three strokes better (301) and finished the day in 11th place.

On day three, the Leopards saw their best results, finishing with a score of 290, just three strokes over par on the day. However, other teams continued to hold their own, and the Leopards ended up finishing 11th overall once again.

Powerhouse Ivy League School Yale won the tournament, finishing with a score of 862, two-under par for the tournament.

Tall continued his strong play after ending his junior season on a high note. Leaving the second day tied for 10th (+1), just four strokes behind the leader, Tall came back the third day and got himself into contention for the top spot. He ended up finishing tied for second place. Tall’s 11 birdies led the way for the team.

“My familiarity with the course was something that made me comfortable. The weather was also perfect, which made hitting shots more predictable,” Tall said.

Junior Martin Vanhaelst led the tournament in eagles, finishing in 45th place overall. Freshman Michael Walsh, senior Kazuki Osawa and freshman Sean Saw all tied for 52nd. Rounding the day out was senior Drew Steiner, who placed 88th.

The Leopards will be on the road again on Sept. 10 as they head to St. John’s College to compete in the Gimmler Invitational at Bethpage in Farmingdale, New York.