Spartans Bounce Back from Sluggish Start to Season with Dominant Performance at Wilmington University
The St. Thomas Aquinas Men's Golf Team had a dominant performance this weekend at the Wilmington University Fall Invitational. Coming off two straight 3rd place finishes, the Spartans were looking to make a statement after their slow start to the 2008 season.
On day one the Spartans started off strong posting a solid team score of 295 led by freshman John Casey's stellar round of 72. Senior Brian Viola continued his brilliant play posting a score of 73, giving him 7 straight rounds of 75 or better this fall. Rounding out the scoring were Junior Sean Campbell and Sophomore Chris Fitzpatrick who both posted rounds of 75. Although they played well, the Spartans found themselves 3 shots back of Goldey-Beacom who posted a team score 292 behind a tournament low 67 from freshman Tyler Harmon.
Facing steady ocean breezes and wet conditions, the Spartans started day two focused and ready to mount a comeback. Sophomore Chris Fitzpatrick came charging back with a brilliant round of 70 for a two-day total of 145 (75-70). Freshman John Casey had a difficult start to his second round and found himself 5-over par with 7 holes to play. Coming off his season low round of 72, Casey battled all the way back to 1-over with four birdies in his last seven holes to finish with a two-day total of 144 (72-72). Junior Sean Campbell also played another great round and grinded out another solid 75 giving him a two-day total of 150 (75-75). Senior Brian Viola started his day with a bogey and proceeded to birdie his next three holes. Viola battled the tournament leader all round and found himself tied for the lead going into his final hole. After securing his par, Viola watched the day one leader hit his 10 foot birdie putt to win the individual title by one stroke. Viola finished the tournament with an outstanding total of 144 (73-71) leaving him and freshman John Casey tied for 2nd place.
With rounds of 70, 71, 72 and 75, the Spartans shot a season low round of 288 to give them a final score of 583 (295-288) which is a tournament low under Coach Stephen Ferrara. "I am extremely proud of this team for their resilience and perseverance. They showed how talented they are under the difficult conditions and played excellent under the pressures of playing with the tournament leaders."
The Spartans ended up making up 13 strokes on Goldey-Beacom and finished in 1st place by 10 strokes. Freshman John Casey and Senior Brian Viola finished in a tie for 2nd place with identical scores of 144 while Sophomore Chris Fitzpatrick finished in 3rd place with a 2-day total of 145. The Spartans look to build on this excellent performance in their final event of the fall at the Dominican College Charger Classic.