BALTIC, Conn. – Senior
Sean Bonneau shot a team and individual season-best 76 to finish in a tie for 17th-place individually out of 45 golfers as the Keene State College men's golf team competed at the Eastern Connecticut State University men's collegiate Invitational on Monday at the Mohegan Sun Country Club. The event was originally slated to be a 36-hole event over two days but was modified to an 18-hole event after weather caused the postponement of Sunday's round.
Bonneau finished with two birdies and 11 pars on the day, carding a 38 on both the front and back nine. He finished with a four on two 500-yard par fives (No. 5 and No. 18) in his team-best round. Freshman
Cole Madden had a team-high three birdies in his round of 80 that included a 39 on the back nine, with three of KSC's four counted scores being an 80 as
Ben Fecteau and
Taylor Miller also finished with that same score. Fecteau birdied three times and Miller once.
Aidan Davis finished with an 82.
As a team, the Owls finished with a 316, placing seventh of the nine at an event that saw both the host Warriors and American International College record impressive scores. Eastern saw Ethan McDaniel record a bogey-free (one birdie, 17 pars) round of 70, Evan Regan shoot a 71, and Jacob Carlson and Ryan O'Donnell each card a 72 as they won the team title with a 285. AIC finished with a 289 but had two players finish under par, including individual medalist Rajat Rai with five birdies in his round of 68 (three-under). Ezequiel Gonzalez shot a 70 (five birdies, one eagle) and Ingmar Schenau had an even-par 71. The Yellowjackets fell short of winning as a team with their fourth scorer finishing eight shots worse than Eastern Connecticut's.
On a day where the average score among the 45 golfers was a 78 and the teams combined for 79 birdies, the Owls again shot in the 310s, their third consecutive team score in that range.
"We didn't have our 'A' game today but the guys battled to still shoot under 320," said KSC head coach
Jeff Timmer. "We know we have to get better to compete with the better teams."
The Owls are back at it this weekend (September 19-20) for the two-day Castleton Invitational at the Rutland Country Club, with tee times beginning at 11:00 a.m. Saturday.
