M. Golf takes 2nd in Binghamton

With only two tournaments remaining on this fall's schedule, the Penn men's golf team traveled to Upstate New York this past weekend in search of a performance they would remember well into the spring. This memorable outing came in the form of two solid team rounds of 306 and 307 at the Binghamton Invitational. Those scores handed Penn second place on the leaderboard out of sixteen teams, marking the Red and Blue's second consecutive bridesmaid finish. The two consistent showings last weekend provided a change from Penn's previous weekends this autumn. One stellar round coupled with one average round had been the Quakers' norm during prior tournaments this year. In accordance with the team's exceptional performance, a myriad of individual bests emerged. On a narrow SUNY-Binghamton course, senior Kyle Moran, junior Mike Russell and sophomore Chad Perman all turned in impressive scorecards. Moran, of Bonita Springs, Florida, left New York with the title of Binghamton Invitational individual co-champion, as he tied for first place. Moran shot two sensational rounds totalling 149, capped off by a clutch round two score of one-over 73. That round catapulted Moran from fifth to first. After finishing 18 holes on Sunday, Moran was deadlocked with a SUNY-Binghamton golfer for the tournament's lead. A playoff ensued as darkness fell on the course. Eventually, it got so dark that Moran felt he couldn't continue. "It got to a point where [the playoff] was unresolvable," Moran said. "We literally could not see the shots. The Binghamton coach wanted to settle it out on the course. It was pitch dark. The tournament director had a vested interest in his own team. At that point, it became ridiculous." Russell carried the team during round one, where he shot a field-leading score of 74. Russell attributed his low round to his green work. "I putted very well," Russell said. Sophomore Perman followed his team-leading round two score of even par at the Lehigh Invitational two weekends ago with a fifth-place finish. Perman shot a score of 152 on a challenging Binhamton course. Although the team arguably played its best golf this season, it still has a yen for victory. Penn finished a mere two strokes out of first place, falling to the course's home team, SUNY Binghamton. "We have finished second in five of our last seven tournaments going back to last spring. It's been a long stretch. We're definitely itching to go over the hump and win a tournament," Moran said. The Quakers will attempt to satiate this desire for a team victory in their final tournament this fall at the Georgetown Invitational this upcoming weekend.

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