This past weekend, the University of Connecticut men’s golf team traveled to Hampden, Massachusetts, where they played at the UConn Invitational at GreatHorse.
Graduate student Jared Nelson was stellar for UConn once again, as he finished one under par to notch his third straight runner-up finish. The only player to score better than the Rutland, Vermont, native was Rhode Island’s Brandon Gillis, who put up an incredible -8 mark to help the Rams get on the podium. Had Gillis done any worse, his Rhode Island squad and UConn would have tied, making his tournament-record performance all the more impressive.
St. John’s and Seton Hall round out the rest of the top two, shooting plus 21 and 25 respectively. The Johnnies benefitted off the contributions of Tyler Gerbavsits and Ryan Rittberger, who placed fifth and sixth overall, respectively. The pair finished a combined +7 and were the only Red Storm players to manage a top 20 finish.
The Pirates got significant help from Wanxi Sun and Wenliang Xie, who combined for just six strokes over par. Harry Dessel did what he could for Lafayette College by posting a +2 to get himself into the top four, but that wasn’t good enough for a top half finish for the Leopards.
Trevor Lopez and Tommy Dallahan (who was playing as an individual) also had a nice outing for the Huskies, posting scores of +6 and +8, respectively. This was Lopez’s second ever top-10 finish, with his other coming at last year’s UConn Invitational.
Jimmy Paradise also had a solid weekend too, as he just missed out on the top 20, notching a +10. The junior Tampa, Florida, native has been solid this year after making the Big East all-tournament team earlier in his career. This weekend also marked the 10th time he finished a round at par or better.
Another Husky who played as an individual was freshman Connor Goode, who shot 12 over for a 27th place finish. The Glastonbury native is still young and should be able to make a nice impact for the Huskies once his career gets into full swing.
Eric Boulger set a new career best with his 37th place finish, as he looks to establish himself in his sophomore season. The Walpole, Massachusetts, native was able to shine close to home, and these next few invitationals will be critical for Boulger to develop some positive momentum.
The Huskies will be right back at it this weekend as they travel to Spartanburg, South Carolina, for the Carolina Cup at the Carolina Country Club.