Oct. 7, 2009

Center Valley, Pa. - Four Patriot League Golf teams hosted an invitational in the month of September, and all found the home course to their liking as three squads won and another finished second in the tournaments. Bucknell's Brian Bartow earned a pair of individual titles, and was rewarded as Patriot League September Golfer of the Month for his accomplishments.

Patriot League September Golf Release - 10.7.09

Patriot League September Golfer of the Month

Brian Bartow, Bucknell Jr., Rye, N.Y.

Bartow earned the individual title in two of Bucknell's three tournaments in September, and helped the Bison finish no lower than second in any of the fields. He opened the month by winning the Colgate Invitational from Sept. 12-13 with an even par score of 144 (73-71) for his first career victory. Bartow earned another individual title in the final invitational of the month, as he shot a one-under 143 (74-69) to beat out teammate Andrew Cohen by one stroke at the Cornell Invitational. The three-under round of 69 was Bartow's career-best in relation to par. Bucknell finished second overall in both of those tournaments, and won its host invitational from Sept. 18-19. Bartow finished 13th in that field, but his career-low second-round score of 68 helped the Bison break the program's 18-hole record with a team score of 276. Bartow receives his first Golfer of the Month award.

September Patriot League Honorable Mention Performances

Ben Hayes, Navy Jr., Carmichael, Calif.
Hayes returned to the course after sitting out the 2009 spring season and produced a pair of top-three finishes and a strong performance in Navy's Star Match with Army. He opened the month with a four-under par 138 (67-71) at the Navy Classic on Sept. 12-13, tying for third place in the field and helping the Mids to second place out of 17 teams. It was the lowest score by a Navy player in the event since Billy Hurley set the record of 12-under par 130 in 2003, and tied for the ninth-lowest 36-hole score in the tournament's 16-year history. Hayes also shined at the Star Match against Army on Sept. 26, as he defeated Army's Matt Krembel, 3 & 1, and teamed with Andrew Haines for a victory in four-ball competition to take two of Navy's five points in the 6-5 loss to the Black Knights. Hayes finished out the month by placing third at the Rehoboth Beach Invitational on Sept. 28, shooting a two-over par 144 (75-69) to lead the Mids to the team title.

Matt Krembel, Army Jr., Shalimar, Fla.
Krembel began his 2009 fall season by taking first place at Army's Mulekicker Classic from Sept. 12-13. He won the event with a three-under par 137 (68-69) and also led the Black Knights to the team title. Krembel placed third at the Leo Keenan Invitational on Sept. 20-21, as he shot an even-par 140 (71-69) to help the Black Knights to fourth place in the 13-team field. Krembel closed out the month by earning half of a point in Army's 6-5 win in the Star Match at Navy on Sept. 26.

Patriot League Notebook

Home Sweet Home For Patriot League Golf Teams

Four Patriot League golf teams hosted an invitational in the month of September, and all found the home course to their liking as three squads won and another finished second in the tournaments. Colgate and Army each earned a victory in their home invitationals from Sept. 12-13, with the Raiders finishing first of nine teams and the Black Knights placing first in a 12-team field. The Colgate Invitational also included Bucknell (2nd) and Lafayette (4th), and was played at Seven Oaks Golf Course in Hamilton, the site of the 2010 Patriot League Championship on April 24-25. Holy Cross placed fourth in Army's Mulekicker Invitational. Navy placed second of 17 teams in its Fall Classic on the same weekend.

Defending Patriot League champion Bucknell was the next to host a field, and the Bison did not disappoint the followers in Lewisburg by winning their 14-team invitational on Sept. 18-19. Lafayette was sixth in the field, while Colgate was seventh and Lehigh came in ninth.

Navy did not come out as well on its home course in the Star Match against Army on Sept. 26, as the Black Knights earned a 6-5 victory in Annapolis for their first victory over the Mids since 2005. Navy did bounce right back, claiming the team title at the Rehoboth Beach Invitational on Sept. 28.

Lehigh will be the final Patriot League team to host a fall tournament, with Bucknell, Colgate and Lafayette all scheduled to visit for the Lehigh Invitational from Oct. 17-18. Every Patriot League team has at least one event remaining in October, then will be off until the spring season begins in March with an eye on the 2010 Patriot League Championship hosted by Colgate at Seven Oaks Golf Course in Hamilton from April 24-25.

Patriot League Team Notebooks

Army The Black Knights have their 2009-10 campaign off to a good start, as they won the Mulekicker Invitational at West Point Golf Course from Sept. 12-13 and also defeated rival Navy, 6-5, in the Star Match in Annapolis. Army finished fourth of 13 teams at the Leo Keenan Invitational from Sept. 20-21, and opened October by placing second of four squads at the Service Academy Classic on Monday and Tuesday. Matt Krembel captured the individual title at the Mulekicker Invitational with a three-under 137. Krembel was also third at the Leo Keenan Invitational and earned a half-point in the win over Navy. He is averaging a 71.1 score per round and has three top-five finishes. Three of his first four rounds of the fall were under 70. Freshman Matt Philie has three top-10 finishes. William Park has a pair of top-eight finishes. Wes Carver won two points against Navy. Army closes out the fall at the Davidson Invitational.

Bucknell The defending Patriot League champion Bison have their season off to a strong start, finishing second, first and second in three events in September. Bucknell won its invitational in Lewisburg from Sept. 18-19, as the Bison finished first of 14 teams and last year's Patriot League individual champion, senior Andrew Cohen, took first place in the field. Bucknell placed second at the Colgate Invitational (Sept. 12-13) and Cornell Invitational (Sept. 26-27), with Brian Bartow claiming his first two career individual titles in the events. Bartow shot an even-par 144 to win the Colgate Invitational, and a one-under 143 to beat Cohen by one shot at the Cornell Invitational. Bartow also shot a career-low 68 to help the Bison win the Bucknell Invitational. Cohen finished third at Colgate, and has only been beaten out by Bartow and Lafayette's Rob Robertson this year. The Bison shot a school record 276 (-4) in the second round of the Bucknell Invitational. Bucknell opened October by placing ninth of 15 teams at the Delaware Invitational, and has the William & Mary and Lehigh Invitationals coming up.

Colgate The Raiders played in four invitationals in September, and did their best work at home by winning the Colgate Invitational from Sept. 12-13. Ben Jessen and Josh Spellman led the way by tying for third place in the event. The Raiders also competed in the Bucknell Invitational, Cornell Invitational and Turning Stone Invitational. Colgate completes its fall at the ECAC Championship this weekend and next week's Lehigh Invitational.

Holy Cross The Crusaders have competed in only two tournaments thus far, placing fourth of 12 teams at Army's Mulekicker Invitational from Sept. 12-13. Holy Cross still has four events left in October, including the Southern New Hampshire Invitational and NEIGA Championship.

Lafayette The Leopards played three events in September, finishing fourth in the Colgate and Cornell Invitationals and sixth at the Bucknell Invitational. Rob Robertson placed second in the Colgate Invitational, finishing two strokes off the individual title. The Leopards play four more events in October, including the Lehigh Invitational from Oct. 17-18.

Lehigh The Mountain Hawks have competed in three events in the fall, placing in the top 10 each time including a sixth-place finish at the Delaware Invitational on Tuesday. Doug Marcinin tied for third place at the Bucknell Invitational from Sept. 18-19 as Lehigh finished ninth in the field. It was the second-best finish of his career. Lehigh closes its fall by hosting an invitational on Oct. 17-18.

Navy The Mids are off to a nice start for their fall season, placing second at the Navy Classic from Sept. 12-13 and winning the Rehoboth Beach Invitational on Sept. 28. Navy also lost to Army, 6-5, in the Star Match on Sept. 26 and placed third at the Service Academy Classic on Tuesday. Ben Hayes finished third at each of the first two events, and also earned two points in the Army-Navy match. He defeated Army's Matt Krembel, 3 & 1, in singles. Hayes has a 70.5 stroke average for the season. Hayes' 4-under par at the Navy Classic was the best mark by a Mid since Billy Hurley was at 12-under in 2003. Navy continues its fall at the Big Five and Seton Hall Invitationals in the next two weeks.