In its only home tournament of the season, the College of William and Mary finished in a three-team tie for 7th place at the First Market Bank Intercollegiate Monday and Tuesday.
The Tribe shot a combined score of 597 (+29) during the 36-hole tournament, pairing a first round score of 299 with a second round 298. Liberty University won the team competition, shooting 574 (+6).
Senior Brent Paladino continued to lead the College, finishing in a tie for 14th place with a 147(+5) to top all Tribe scorers. Freshman Jason Chun notched a second-round 73 (+2) to move into a tie for 28th place with a 149 (+7) overall.
“Individually, I played much better than I shot. I made great strides with my short game and started to putt much better,” Paladino said. “It was very tough out there because not only was it very cold, but it was windy as well. Hopefully, the weather will be a little better in our upcoming tournaments so that I can get a better indication of where my game is at going into CAA’s.”
After the first 18 holes, the Tribe found itself in a tie for 9th place after carding a total score of 299 (+15). Liberty led after the first round, with Campbell University only one stroke off the lead.
Paladino led the Tribe in the opening 18 holes, shooting a 72 (+1), which tied him for 12th. After a two over par front nine, the senior caught fire on the back, coming in at 34 (-1), which placed him firmly on the leader board.
Sophomore Brandon Parker also posted a strong first round, tying for 17th with a 73 (+2). However, he faded Tuesday, finishing in 89th overall (158, +16).
“So far, we have struggled in the first round of our tournaments and have found ourselves constantly playing from behind,” Parker said. “In our next tournament, we will look to get off to a solid start which will put us in a much better position to win.”
Overall, junior Conor O’Brien tied for 46th. Senior Doug Hurson utilized a stellar second-round tournament-low 69 (-2), to finish in a tie for 61st. Redshirt freshman Scott Saal notched a 156 (+14) to tie for 78th, while junior Andy Roach rounded out the Tribe contingent, tying with Parker for 89th.
“Despite some lackluster play, all of us see strong aspects of our game coming to the forefront just in time to get us through the final part of the season,” Saal said. “The hard work and effort is there to [for us] end on a positive note. We like our chances in the CAA tournament since we have the talent to compete with any team in the conference. ”
