WEST ORANGE, N.J. – Rhode Island built a commanding lead after the opening round of the Metropolitan Intercollegiate, finishing the day 13 strokes ahead of the rest of the 11-team field Monday.
The Rams had four of the top seven individual scores in the 72-player field. Junior
Aidan O'Donovan fired seven birdies to finish the day at 3-under on the par-70 Montclair Golf Club course. He was the lone player in the field to be under par in the opening round. At one point, O'Donovan sank five birds in a span of six holes from holes 12-17.
Freshman
Luke Stennett was tied for second place with an even-par 70. Graduate student
Sean Magarian was one shot behind him in fourth place, and freshman
Tyler Bruneau was tied for seventh place with his 3-over par.
With those four players leading the way, Rhode Island was six-over as a team. That put URI well in front of the field. Fairfield is in second place at plus-19, followed by Manhattan (+21), Fordham (+23) and Sacred Heart (+25).
Beyond the top four players, Rhode Island had three other individuals tee up. Sophomores
Tony Liu and
Seb Carlsson are tied for 18th place (+6), while
Josiah Tong is in 35th place (+9).
The teams will play the final round of the tournament Tuesday. Rhode Island will be paired with players from Fairfield, Manhattan and Fordham, with the first groups teeing off at 10 a.m.
Rhode Island head coach Gregg Burke said...
"This tournament and the Ledgemont Match Play match play were chances for us to play seven or eight guys. Neither event was on the original schedule, but when N.C. State got rained out, we were fortunate to play here on a Donald Ross gem.
"Aidan made seven birdies which was phenomenal given the firmness and the speed of the greens. The tiers and undulations here are pronounced. And we proved in some cases that you can have a very good round going and then the golf course bites you on the ankles.
"Tomorrow we want to just play the golf course and get some better scoring."
2024 Metropolitan Intercollegiate
Team Standings (First Round)
1. Rhode Island – 286
2. Fairfield – 299
3. Manhattan – 301
4. Fordham – 303
5. Sacred Heart – 305
6. Mercyhurst – 308
7. West Chester – 320
7. Wagner – 320
9. Saint Peter's – 325
10. Manhattan (B) – 327
11. Wagner (B) – 333
