After a two-week hiatus, the UConn men’s golf team returned to action last Monday and Tuesday, competing in the Bridgestone Collegiate Invitational in Napa, California. Despite being in a crowded field of 11, the Huskies were in the middle of the pack, finishing seventh overall.
BYU won the event outright, finishing an absurd 12 under par and eight strokes ahead of second-place Sam Houston and 37 ahead of Connecticut. The Cougars’ Cooper Jones led the field with an excellent seven under par in the two-day event. Despite what may have seemed like an eyesore of a score, Connecticut had a solid outing at the links.
Freshman Bradley Sawka had the best week of any Husky, finishing six under par in a highly competitive field and second among all golfers with 15 birdies. His performance was so good that the Ellington, Connecticut native tied for second place overall. Unfortunately for Connecticut, Sawka competed as an individual, meaning his score did not factor into UConn’s total.
Sawka was the only UConn golfer to finish under par. Behind him at five over par were both Alex Heard and Tommy Dallahan, who led the charge for the Huskies lineup. Dallahan led the tournament with 42 pars, an excellent accomplishment given the difficult nature of Silverado Resort and Spa Golf Course. Not far behind him was Junior Ray Dennehy, whose best performance came on the final day, finishing with 71 strokes. His performance was all the more encouraging considering he struggled to find his footing in the second round, finishing nine strokes worse.
Ultimately, the par 4 holes gave Connecticut and the rest of the field trouble this past week. UConn finished a whopping 34 above par in that regard, which was the third worst in the field. For comparison, Sam Houston led the field at 11 over, a testament to the difficult nature of this course. Despite those struggles, the Huskies made up for it in other ways.
Their performance on par 3 holes kept them afloat, finishing in fifth place at 12 over par. Like the par 4 holes, no program finished at or below par. As a unit, the Huskies faired the best on the par 5 holes, finishing in the middle of the field at four strokes below par. UConn’s ability to get it done on their par 3 opportunities is even more impressive when you consider that the par 3 hole No. 7 threw the entire field for a loop. Nearly everyone got into trouble on this hole at one time or another; out of 288 total plays in three rounds, there were 79 scores over par, by far the highest of any hole.
Jimmy Paradise also had a weekend to remember. While he did not play his best golf last week, glimpses of his talent were there. The 2023 Big East Player of the Year was one of seven players in the field to finish with an eagle.
This was a tough week for the Huskies and it’s never easy to take on a challenging field or course. Playing three rounds in two days is also tricky, although it is ideal for building endurance on the course. There were positive performances and much for the program to look ahead to and work on. Husky fans should watch how the team fares with the par 4 holes, as their shortcoming has not been unique to last week. Connecticut will return to action this Monday and Tuesday for the Golfweek Invitational in beautiful Pawley’s Island, S.C.