After commanding a 10-stroke lead during round one of the ECAC Division I Championship last weekend, the Binghamton University golf team had to settle for third place out of 14 teams in the field after collapsing due to a terrible second round performance.

The Bearcats got off to an incredible start, finishing one under par after the opening round, but not one player broke 78 in the second round in what was truly a monumental team collapse, allowing Sacred Heart and arch rival St. Bonaventure to surpass them.

In the first round, the Bearcats actually put a round together where they played very well as a team. But because of the general inexperience of the players, they were unable to seal the victory after putting themselves in a great position to win. With only one upperclassman in the starting lineup, senior captain Zach Vinal, age might have contributed to the team being unable to come through in the clutch when it mattered most.

‘This was the first time our team was in a clear position to win the tournament, and sometimes you simply have to be there once or twice before you can actually win,’ said head coach Nick Lasky. ‘They put themselves in position to win and the next time they do that the result will probably be a lot better.’

But the outstanding play of sophomore Patrick Donovan is the best sign the Bearcats could have received after this tournament, breaking 70 for the first time in his NCAA career by shooting three-under 68 in the first round. He birdied the first hole, finished the front nine at one under, and was three under in his last five holes, missing only two greens and two fairways in his entire round.

‘He has always had that ability to put up sensational scores and it was the first time in quite a while where he has shown that ability,’ Lasky said. ‘More importantly, now he has that belief in himself that he has the ability and the talent to shine.’

This weekend, the Bearcats head to the Quail Valley Golf Club in Littlestown, Pa., near Gettysburg, for a 36-hole tournament featuring 10 teams. However, the top four Bearcats, Vinal, Donovan, and freshmen Jake Katz and Mike Surdey, will not be playing in this tournament, giving juniors J.J. Shearer and Brian Golkiewicz, senior Ryan Gabel, sophomore Mike Corbo and freshman Andrew Marler, the backups, a chance to get some tournament experience and compete against themselves and the rest of the field. Their individual scores will officially count for golf stat, but the overall team score will not be counted, giving the Bearcats a team practice tournament.

‘This will be a good way for the players to show what they can do in a major tournament setting and will get them some valuable experience,’ Lasky said. ‘Throughout this season, players who have played well in team playoffs have not played well in tournaments.’