ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ

For the third consecutive year, the ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ men’s golf team earned a victory Sept. 25 at the Cornell Invitational held at nearby Robert Trent Jones Golf Course in Ithaca. With a 54-hole total of 871 (+7), the Bearcats beat runner-up Columbia University by three strokes.

During the opening round, Binghamton shot a remarkable 286 (-2), marking the second-best team round in program history. Later that day, Binghamton shot a second round of 293, leaving them in second place, one shot behind Columbia after day-one action. On Sunday, the Bearcats put together four rounds no higher than 74 to edge out the Lions of Columbia by four strokes.

“This is a great team victory from top to bottom,” head coach Bernie Herceg said. “Our depth is something that really stands out this year. Each and every one of our guys put together strong rounds this weekend, giving us the consistent play we needed to get by a solid Columbia team.”

Highlighting the event for the Bearcats were senior Mike Surdey and sophomore Paul Andrews who both finished runners-up. Surdey proved to be the most consistent performer at the event, leading the field in pars with 40. In his best career finish, Surdey also shot a 54-hole career-best score of even par.

“Without question, Mike was our steadiest contributor over the weekend,” Herceg said. “He finished out the tournament strong by birdying the par-5 16th giving us some breathing room at the top.”

Andrews, like Surdey, finished at a career-best total of even par for the two-day event. Propelled by an opening round 69 (-3), Andrews went on to shoot rounds of 74 and 73. For Andrews, this marked the first top-10 finish of his career at Binghamton, besting an 11th place finish at the Seton Hall Invitational last October.

“Paul had an outstanding opening round giving us the great start we needed,” Herceg said. “He really battled this entire weekend and made some big saves when we most needed it.”

All five Bearcats competing finished in the top 25 of the event. Junior David Cellura (T-10) shot rounds of 71-72-75=218 (+2). Both sophomore Bryce Edmister (T-19) and freshman Josh Holling (T-25) used solid final rounds to pace the Bearcats toward their first fall victory of the early season.

“This team has got to be one of the deepest teams we’ve had here at Binghamton,” Herceg said. “Our guys from the five and four spot can hurt you just as much as the guys in the top tier of the field. The consistent play from one through five was the key in achieving this three-peat at Cornell.”

Next up for the Bearcats is a trip to Philadelphia to play in the Big 5 Invitational hosted by Temple University, Oct. 8-9.