URI Earns Top 5 Finish at Moraine Intercollegiate
The University of Rhode Island golf team earned a top five finish at the Moraine Intercollegiate at Moraine Country Club in Ohio this week.
Battling a loaded field, the Rams finished at 11-under par for the week and in solo fourth-place.
The tournament featured teams from some of the top teams from the Big Ten, SEC, Big East and A-10.
“It is a luxury to be disappointed with a fourth place finish in a tournament with such a national field, but we really could have won it,” URI Head Coach Gregg Burke told GolfNewsRI.
URI finished nine shots behind tournament winner Xavier, who took home the trophy at 20-under par.
“Yesterday (Monday) we gave up six shots in the final nine holes and today we gave up five down the stretch. People get tired of me saying it, but we have to be tough late in the round and late in the tournament,” added Burke.
Illinois and Missouri were the other two teams that finished ahead of the Rams.
Among the teams Rhody beat were A-10 rivals VCU and Dayton, and then national brands such as Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State and UConn.
Dating back to the final round of the UConn Invitational, Rhody has beaten the Huskies by 39 shots over the last four rounds.
Leading Rhody
The Rams were led by Tony Liu and Luke Stennett, who both finished in a tie for 11th overall at five-under par for the week.
Liu posted an opening round 70 and then back-to-back 69s for the tournament and climbed eight spots up the leaderboard.
“I thought Tony was the guy who really made a difference for us because he defines toughness. We’ve played four tournaments and he had to qualify for two of them,” said Burke.
Stennett did the opposite of Liu, opening the tournament with back-to-back 69s and a final round 70.
Tyler Bruneau finished 28th and Aidan O’Donovan finished 32nd, while Josiah Tong finished in 49th.
“Every one of our guys moved up in the standings today which you normally see when you’re playing poorly, but never when you are playing well. Today we did it when we were playing well,” added Burke.
Next UP
The Rams have two tournaments left during the fall season, the Nassau Intercollegiate and the Wykagyl Intercollegiate.
“We have two more tournaments and while this was a great experience, we can take nothing for granted. We’ll have to play extremely well in both to accomplish the things we want to accomplish,” said Burke.
The Nassau starts on October 20, and the Wykagyl starts on October 27, both in New York.