Buttermark finishes second at ECAC Fall Championship
By Brian Sommer
With the fall golf season nearing its end, the Broncs traveled to Egg Harbor, N.J., to take part in the Eastern College Athletic Championship (ECAC) Fall Golf Championship at Twisted Dune Golf Course on Sept. 29-30.
In the first round, Rider finished third of five teams with a score of 333, trailing Fairfield with 330, and the leader, Monmouth University, with 307.
Placing third out of 25 competitors with an opening round score of 77 was senior James Buttermark. Sophomore Tom Yarson scored an 81, and freshman Sam DiGaetano shot an 87. Yarson finished the day in eighth place and DiGaetano was tied for 19th.
Head Coach Jason Barry said that the team shows steadfast dedication.
“The whole team plays with a lot of heart,” Barry said. “They are all fighters, and will grind for every stroke.”
The Broncs played much better on the final day of the tournament, finishing with a team score of 312 — a 29-stroke improvement from where they finished on day one. Rider still finished third.
Buttermark excelled on the final day, moving up to runner-up. He finished with a score of 154, which was only six strokes behind first-place medalist Bradley Goodling from Monmouth, with a score of 148.
“I really grinded out all of my shots today,” Buttermark said. “I birdied my last three holes, which probably moved me up four or five spots, which I was very happy with. I’ve been really confident all semester, but having a really high finish is always a really good feeling.”
Barry said the one thing that stood out from the tournament was Buttermark finishing second.
Still, Barry feels that Yarson can be in contention to win a tournament.
“Yarson is a great competitor,” Barry said. “He knows how to fight for every stroke.”
Despite the positives coming from the final round for the Broncs, Monmouth still managed to hold on and win the championship with a final score of 623.
“We know we didn’t play our best this past weekend, but I know if we do play our best we will have a chance to win every tournament we play in,” Buttermark said.
Rider will end its season at the two-day Binghamton Fall Invitational in Apalachin, N.Y., on Oct. 6-7.
