The Boston University men’s golf team teed off at the Bobcat Invitational, hosted by Quinnipiac University Friday, hoping to improve upon last week’s ninth-place performance at the Central Connecticut State University’s Blue Devil Invitation. When all the sand had settled, they left with a third-place finish and a score 16 strokes lower than last year – thanks in large part to a very low single-hole score by Mike O’Day.
O’Day’s hole-in-one on the 211-yard, par-3 4th hole was the brightest moment in a day under totally blue skies at The Farms Country Club in Wallingford, Conn.
“The conditions were perfect – there was no wind, just clear skies,” said BU coach Gary Skrinar. “The weather could not have excused a poor performance.”
But the Terriers didn’t need any excuses for their performance. They were actually quite happy with the way things turned out, finishing with a 311 on the day, just 18 strokes behind the tournament winners – Fairfield University at 23-over. The University of Connecticut finished nine ahead of the Terriers.
O’Day carded an 82, putting him at 10-over for the day. And though the final tally didn’t raise any eyebrows, the shot on No. 4 did. Well, at least once he looked inside the cup.
“I stepped up to the tee and coach was behind me, but I wasn’t really sure which club to use,” O’Day said. “I decided on my 3-wood and hit it softly, not expecting to make the green. It wasn’t until I got there that I realized it was in the hole.”
And though the hole-in-one helped out the BU squad, it was the performance of the two seniors, Remy Sloan and captain Jed Prescott, that carried the team. Sloan shot a 74 and ended up 2-over, while Prescott shot a 75, as both continued to lead the team as they have all year.
“I was very pleased with their performances,” Skrinar said. “The seniors are doing a great job.”
For Skrinar, it was all praise for Sloan, who has shot a 76 or better in seven of his last eight rounds.
“He has the lowest average for Boston University in 15 years,” Skrinar said.
In Skrinar’s 16 years as the Terrier coach, he has seen great progress over the last few years, and this year’s Terriers seem to be all about continuing that improvement as they enter their fourth tournament of the season.
“Hopefully [we’ll] get about four guys in the low 70s and just take things from there,” he said.
This year, the team’s age spread has been one of its biggest assets. The two seniors have been a particularly solid foundation for the team. To O’Day, the senior duo is not only helping the team on the scorecard, but they are showing the younger players the ropes.
“Both the seniors have been really great leaders this year,” he said. “They have helped us improve our games a lot and are a really great asset to the team.”
Both Skrinar and O’Day agreed that this is shaping up to be a great year for the Terriers. Skrinar said that four out of six of his top players are shooting under 80 and will only continue to improve.
The Terriers hope to bring this improvement to the MacDonald Cup in New Haven, Conn. this weekend. Skrinar expects a lot of good competition, including Harvard University, CCSU, Sacred Heart University and the University of Richmond. But after the strong outing this weekend, the Terriers look to be ready to take on the challenge.