HELLERTOWN, Pa. –The Monmouth University men's golf team battled through periods of rain to climb five spots on the leaderboard to finish the Lafayette Invitational with a share of eighth place, Monday afternoon at the par-71, 6635-yard Silver Creek Country Club. The Hawks, who took 11 strokes off its first round score with its second round 304, was paced by junior Brady Goodling's (Manheim, Pa./Manheim Central) 36-hole total of 150.
Goodling, who carded one of four eagles registered in the tournament, shot an opening round 76 before shaving three strokes off his score in Monday's final round to land in 13th overall, his fourth top-15 result of the season. Corey Carrick (Howell, N.J./Howell) posted rounds of 81 and 75 to finish with a 156, good for a share of 43rd, while a trio of Hawks finished a stroke behind the local product. Kyle Deisher (Montgomery, Pa./Montgomery Area) fired an 81 and 76, Colin Buckley carded 78 and 79 and Thomas Whalen (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown West), playing as an individual, posted a 77 and 80 to each share 50th. Jesse Hazam (Mechanicsburg Pa./Mechanicsburg ), playing in his third tournament of his rookie campaign, turned in back-to-back rounds of 80 to end the event with a 160.
Longwood shot a 595, three strokes in front of Central Connecticut State, to earn the team crown. Hofstra landed in third with a 601 followed by Bucknell in fourth with a 609. Drexel and LaSalle both carded 610 to share fifth, while Rider and Villanova trailed with a 616, good for sixth. Canisius landed in seventh with a 617, two strokes in front of the Hawks and Colgate, which shared eighth. Lehigh wrapped up the tournament a stroke behind MU and the Raiders and three strokes in front of Manhattan which finished with a 623. A pair of Leopard teams occupied 11th and 12th, shooting 624 and 626, respectfully, while a trio of Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) teams in Iona (627), Siena (630), and Niagara (671) rounded-out the 18-team field.
Monmouth will tee off next Sunday and Monday, April 13-14, in the FDU Invitational which will be held at the Crystal Spring Golf Club in Hamburg, N.J.
