The Penn men's golf team won this past weekend's Towson Invitational, defeating 18 teams and brutal weather to garner their first tourney win since 1999.
Penn co-captain Chad Perman also brought home the individual title, besting second-place finisher Ben Bates from Skidmore College by four strokes. Perman's 36-hole score of 149 was the lowest of 97 golfers. Freshman Derrick Rodgers finished tied for sixth with a combined score of 156.
"This weekend was about battling the elements," Penn coach Heath Davidson said. "We tried to stay mentally focused."
"It feels great to have finally closed the deal," Perman added.
Saturday blew 30 mile-per-hour winds at the Red and Blue, representing "the hardest thing to play in," as Davidson explained. The weather had dropped 20 degrees by Sunday and featured rain.
The Quakers remained undeterred, however.
"Under those conditions it's easy to lose focus and complain," Perman said.
Penn defeated second-place Navy by one stroke on the Great Hope Golf Course in Westover, Md. Other opponents included Saint Joseph's, Columbia and Cornell.
This marked Penn's first District II match on the season and the first time the Quakers have played in the annual event.
Davidson said that Friday night the team discussed the mentality of "wanting it the most."
"In spite of the weather, the team stayed positive and I'm proud of them," he said.
Perman continued his consistently good play, leading Penn by example.
"I didn't necessarily think I was in the lead but I stayed focused and was happy to have built on my success in the fall," Perman said.
Perman led the team and averaged 72 throughout the fall season. The senior also finished eighth individually shooting 72, 75, and 71 in the 53rd Annual Southern California Intercollegiate Championships, in which Penn finished eighth of 14 teams.
Perman, senior co-captain Peyton Wallace, Rodgers, senior Endel Liias, and junior Adam Squires made up the starting five this weekend.
As a team, Penn shot 310 on Saturday and 315 on Sunday -- with the weather worsening as the days passed.
Since returning from their spring break trip to California, the Quakers have spent almost every day practicing.
"This weekend our short games were sharp, we have been working hard on [this aspect of the game]," Davidson said.
The Quakers' home course is the Philadelphia Cricket Club, where the team also utilizes the short game facility and driving range.
"With this type of effort, we can win tournaments," Perman said. "This is a step in the right direction."
Next weekend finds the squad playing in the Navy Invitational. Davidson said the team will work this week on approach shots and limiting its three putts.
After Navy, Penn travels to New Jersey where rival Princeton hosts the final District II tournament before the Ivy Championships.
"The Ivies are our focus and we hope we can keep improving and peak at the right time," Davidson said.
An Ivy title would give the Quakers a spot in the NCAA Regionals, through which teams compete to enter the National Championship.
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