MEN'S GOLF | Hoyas Withdraw From Kentucky Tourney

In what Georgetown men’s golf Head Coach Tommy Hunter described as a “very unfortunate situation,” Georgetown had to withdraw on Tuesday from the Cardinal Invitational at the Cardinal Club golf course in Simpsonville, Ky. Heavy thunderstorms interfered with travel plans and forced the team to miss the last day of the tournament.

But the Hoyas were already struggling when the inclement weather began, exiting the 15-team invitational with a stroke count of 610, 34-over-par on the course. That finish left the Hoyas tied for 14th with Cincinnati.

Individually, however, sophomore Greg Podufal and senior captain Curtis Loop led the team with scores of 148 (76-72 and 75-73, respectively), putting them at 38th when the Blue and Gray withdrew.

“Curtis Loop and Greg Podufal carried the team and played competitive golf,” Hunter said in an email.

Freshman Raleigh Chapin debuted with a 154 (79-75), placing him 63rd through the first two rounds. Sophomore Brian Tohir and senior captain Justin Edwards left the tournament in 83rd and 84th places, respectively.

As a bright spot for Georgetown, the team heated up as the tournament moved to its second round, dropping from a 310 finish in the first round to scoring 300 in the second. Louisville, the Cardinal Invitational’s hosts, emerged as the winner, beating out runner-up Bowling Green by three strokes.

This week’s results mark the second back-of-the-pack results in the team’s two competitions so far this season.

A 19-over par finish in the Golfweek Program Challenge in Myrtle Beach, S.C., held Sept. 9-11, led the Hoyas to close in 11th place out of 12 teams.

Loop, Edwards and Tohir all took spots in the top 35, however, with Loop and Tohir shooting 221 through three rounds to tie for 29th. Edwards, posting a 75 in the final round, tied for 34th.

Tohir and Loop played especially well in the final round of the tournament, racking up five birdies and 25 pars collectively. This phenomenal play earned Tohir a score of 72, the best final round stroke count for the Blue and Gray.

Despite these performances, however, the Hoyas still lagged 21 strokes behind the men’s winner, Central Arkansas, who finished two under par. Jacksonville State and Troy snagged second and third to close out the men’s top three.

With two competitions under its belt, Georgetown looks to improve at the Cobra Invitational, which begins Sunday and continues on Monday. The Cobra, jointly hosted by Xavier and Florida Gulf Coast, will be held in Ft. Myers, Fla.

“We hope to have deeper scoring this coming weekend at the Xavier event. In order to compete at this level, we need four quality scores in each competitive round,” Hunter wrote. “I am confident the guys will come around and play the kind of golf we are capable of playing.”