Broncs finish 5th at Binghamton Fall Invitational

By Brian Sommer

After senior James Buttermark finished second overall last weekend at the Eastern College Athletic Championship, the Broncs looked to continue playing well at the Binghamton Fall Invitational, their last tournament of the fall season, at the Links at Hiawatha Landing in Apalachin, N.Y. on Oct. 6-7. However, play was canceled because of rain on Oct. 7, after nine holes.

Rider opened up in the first and only round of golf played this weekend with a score of 297, which is the second time in the fall season in which the Broncs have scored below 300. The Broncs finished fifth out of 13 teams and Laval University finished first with a final score of 276. Rider has finished in the top five in its last two events.

Junior Cole Clark felt he wasn’t playing his best game and hopes to perform better in the spring season.

“The fact that I can shoot even par without hitting the ball well makes me feel like I could take it deep,” Clark said.

Clark, who, was the leader for the Broncs, shot an even par 72, finished 14th overall. He felt his strong play would have continued if not for the inclement weather.

“Right now, I feel like I’m the best player on the field,” Clark said. “Had the conditions stayed fair, I could have easily had a strong round.”

Head Coach Jason Barry was pleased that Clark was able to battle back after a slow start.

“Cole stayed very level-headed,” he said. “He started off over par, but battled back after six holes to shoot even. He used his short game and creativity to work his way around the course.”

Behind Clark, the Broncs all scored in the 70s. Sophomore Tom Yarson ended his day with a 74 and placed 20th. Buttermark shot a 75 in his round and finished 28th. Freshmen Sam DiGaetano and Aaron Simone were right behind the two with scores of 76, finishing their day in 33rd.

Buttermark believes the team is  performing well because of the leadership of the new coach.

“Jason is a great teacher and knows the game really well,” he said. “Our entire team is playing really good golf right now.”

With the fall season coming to a close and the Broncs having only a quad match next weekend, the Broncs go into their off-season on a positive note and have a lot to look back on.

However, Barry believes there is room for improvement.

“We will take momentum from the fall into the off-season,” he said. “The guys are hungry to get better and each player has areas in their game where they need to improve. Physical fitness will be a big part of our off-season as well.”