W&J Men’s Golf Tied For Third After First Round In Ireland
WATERVILLE, Ireland -- The Washington & Jefferson College men’s golf team is tied for third after the opening round of the inaugural Waterville Collegiate Classic at the Waterville Golf Links in Ireland.
John Skeadas of NCAA Division I Davidson leads the individual standings after turning in a three-over-par 75. Davidson is first in the team standings with 312 strokes.
W&J is the lone NCAA Division III team competing in the tournament. Richmond (317) and Rutgers (334) round out the four-team field.
Sophomore Matt Long (East Stroudsburg, Pa./Notre Dame) shot a first round 78 on the par-72 course and is tied for fourth in the individual standings to pace the Presidents.
Freshman Tim Novic (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair) posted the second-lowest score for W&J by shooting 84. Novic is tied for 18th, while sophomore Ryan Mazza (Pittsburgh, Pa./Chartiers Valley) and freshman Evan Lestini (Bridgeville, Pa./South Fayette) are tied for 22nd after recording 86 strokes each. Junior Colin Izzo (Longmeadow, Mass./Longmeadow) notched 90 strokes and is tied for 25th.
Numerous professional tournaments have been played at Waterville Golf Links, and over 40 of the world’s greatest champions from Sam Snead to Nick Faldo have experienced the Links.
Ernie Els, Jim Furyk, Mark O’Meara, Payne Stewart and Tiger Woods played the Waterville links to prepare for the 1998 British Open which was won by O’Meara. Prior to the 1999 Open Championship, O’Meara, Stewart and Woods were joined by Stuart Appleby, David Duval and Lee Janzen, all of which became members of Waterville. Later that year at a ceremony during the now famous Ryder Cup in Brookline Massachusetts, United States team member Payne Stewart accepted the Captaincy of Waterville – the last golf honour he would receive before his tragic death. Today a life-sized bronze statue pays tribute to his Captaincy and his special relationship with Waterville.
Second round play continues on Tuesday morning at 6:00 am EDT.
