The St. Thomas Aquinas golf team had a come from behind victory in the final round to win the 2011 St. Thomas Aquinas Spring Invitational. Mike Gunderson finished in 2nd place for the tournament with a 2-day score of 143. Chris Fitzpatrick and Tommy Linehan tied for 3rd place with 147 each.
With difficult greens, the Spartans struggles with the putter during round one. Leading the team was Junior Mike Gunderson who fired a round of 72. Senior Chris Fitzpatrick posted a solid round of 74 while John Casey carded a 78. Rounding out team scoring was freshman Tommy Linehan who shot a round of 79. After shooting a team score of 302, the Spartans found themselves three shots behind the first place AIC Yellow jackets.
On day two, the winds of Rum Pointe G.C. picked up and conditions became increasingly difficult. Freshman Tommy Linehan led the Spartan’s charge firing a tournament low 4 under par 68. Mike Gunderson who was tied for the lead with his first round 72 managed to fire a stellar round of 1 under par 71, but was edged out for medalist honors by Dowling’s Anthony Corsi. Although he struggled with the flat stick, Chris Fitzpatrick managed to grind out a round of 74. Sophomore Nick Delango bounced back from a tough first round to round out the team scoring with a solid day of 75. The Spartans shot a team score of 288 (even par) to capture first place by 14 shots over AIC.
After a solid fall season, the Spartans are currently ranked #1 in the NCAA East Region and are ranked 71st in the country among all Division II programs. The team is back in action two weeks from now at the Dowling College “Peter King Memorial” at Long Island National G.C. in Riverhead, NY.
Player Results
Mike Gunderson 72-71---143(-1) 2nd place
Chris Fitzpatrick 73-74---147(+3) T-3rd place
Tommy Linehan 79-68---147(+3) T-3rd place
John Casey 78-77---155(+11) T-17th place
Nick Delango 81-75---156(+12) T-19th place
Joe Harney (Ind.) 80-83---163(+19) T-35th place