Bucknell University Athletics
Men's Golf Starts 2016-17 Campaign Saturday at Colgate
9/2/2016 3:06:00 PM | Men's Golf
LEWISBURG, Pa. -- The Bucknell men's golf team tees it up for the first time in 2016-17 this Saturday and Sunday at Colgate's Alex Lagowitz Memorial Invitational at Seven Oaks Golf Club. The tournament consists of 36 holes on Saturday and 18 more on Sunday. Live scoring is available at GolfStat.com.
Four Patriot League teams will be in the field, with Bucknell and Colgate also joined by Army West Point and Lehigh. Canisius, Cornell, Delaware, Fairleigh Dickinson, Iona, St. Bonaventure, St. John's and Ottawa round out the field.
Bucknell third-year head coach Mike Binney has a deep team and high expectations for the coming season. His team just completed its preseason qualifying tournament, which was won by sophomore J.P. Raftery with rounds of 68-68-72 for a 2-under par total of 208. Raftery is coming off a breakthrough performance at last spring's Patriot League Championship, where he shot a 2-under 211 (71-67-73) over 54 holes to finish T-2nd and capture First Team All-Patriot League and Patriot League Rookie of the Year honors.
Raftery will be joined in this week's starting five by fellow sophomores Connor O'Brien and Jubal Early along with seniors John Edler and D.J. Magee. Freshman Peter Bradbeer will make his collegiate debut playing as an individual.
The Colgate Invitational will be the first of seven fall tournaments for the Bison. They will host their annual Bucknell Invitational on Sept. 10-11 at the Bucknell Golf Club, followed by tournaments hosted by Cornell, George Mason, Binghamton, Appalachian State and Lehigh.
The Bison won two tournaments last year – the Lehigh Invitational and Yale Invitational – and will be looking for more in 2016-17 while striving to peak in April for the Patriot League Championship, which returns to Lewisburg this year.
Binney's team took a major jump forward last year thanks in part to a major infusion of first-year talent, and he feels that the group is ready to make another leap forward this season. The team graduated only one senior in Nick Geissler, while welcoming a very talented newcomer in Bradbeer.
“Two years ago, my first year at Bucknell, we did not win a tournament, and then last year we won at Lehigh and Yale,” said Binney. “Now we expect to win tournaments this fall and spring. Ultimately it comes down to the Patriot League Championship, and we are looking forward to having the home-course advantage to try to narrow the gap on Army. Our team expectations are to be in contention for the title.”
One of Binney's challenges will be finding the right five players to send out each week from a deep and talented roster of 11. Each of them has had bright moments at the collegiate level, none shinier that Raftery's runner-up showing at last year's Patriot League Championship in Annapolis, Maryland.
“That was just an incredible performance,” said Binney of Raftery, who earned his roster spot in team qualifying at the beginning of the year. “I don't want to say it was a surprise, because everyone in our program knows he has plenty of game, but he just kept getting better and better throughout the year and put it all together when it mattered most. Now he has picked right up where he left off. He won our qualifier at 2-under and continues to prove that he can go low in any given round.”
Raftery is part of an extremely talented sophomore class that also includes Early, O'Brien and Ashton Radvansky. O'Brien was the team MVP as a freshman a year ago with a team-best scoring average of 75.0 for the full season. The Connecticut native finished fourth in his collegiate debut at Colgate – he missed out on a playoff by one shot – the first of his five top-10 finishes on the season. Early finished T-11th in his debut at Colgate and went on to compile a solid 76.3 average, tied for third on the team behind O'Brien and Raftery (75.9). Radvansky had two round of 1-over-par and is working on becoming more consistent.
“Connor played every event but one for us last year and was our overall best player throughout the full season,” said Binney. “We expect the same from him this season. If he is playing his best golf at the end of the year, he has the talent to win a Patriot League title. Jubal had a solid qualifying tournament and is ready to go. He was a solid 2-3-4 guy for us last year, and even at a young age he showed tremendous leadership. He is a chemistry guy who can bring a team together. Ashton has the potential to be a really good player. His ball-striking is a thing of beauty, but it needs consistency. He has something to prove this year and he really wants to contribute.
Edler, Magee and team captain Zachary Melnick comprise a senior class that is looking to go out in style. Edler has been a very consistent player throughout his career and is coming off a strong junior season. He had three top-10s last year, including a runner-up finish at the Yale Invitational and a third-place showing at Lehigh, helping Bucknell to team titles at both events. Magee had a top-10 and four top-20s last season, while Melnick showed off his talent by going 69-72 in a runner-up finish at the Bucknell Invitational.
“John Edler is one of the most consistent ball-strikers on the team,” praised Binney. “He hits more fairways and greens than anybody. Putting has been the difference maker for him in terms of breaking through and winning tournaments, but he has changed to a claw grip, and I think he has really found something there. Not only is he putting great, but he is putting with confidence. D.J. has the best short game on the team. His up-and-down percentage is off the charts, and he is an excellent putter. He is not the longest hitter, but he is consistent and will be a key part of our lineup.
“Zach Melnick is our captain this year. He has a quiet leadership quality about him. He did a pre-med program in Boston this summer, so once he gets his touch and feel back, he will be a solid contributor for us all year.”
Daniel Levin, J.B. Thompson and C.J. Zachary are the team's three juniors. Levin made the team through qualifying two years ago and has been one of the top performers ever since. He tied for third on the team with a 76.3 average, and then this summer he advanced to a U.S. Open sectional qualifier. Zachary won Bucknell's qualifier last year and then finished third with rounds of 71-71 at the Bucknell Invitational two weeks later. Thompson is one of the team's longest hitters, and now he is looking for more consistent scoring.
“Dan is coming off a very successful summer,” said Binney. “He has been a solid, consistent performer and is always there for us when we need a score. He will play quite a bit once again this season. C.J. is adapting to a minor swing change that we think is going to help him down the line. He has demonstrated the ability to post low numbers, and he is a great teammate and a quiet leader. J.B. is coming off his best qualifying tournament, where he finished just outside the top five. He is working to become a more consistent ball-striker, and when he does his average will come down. He is in the mix.”
Bradbeer won his first American Junior Golf Association Tour event this summer, and he comes to Bucknell with excellent credentials. He was the 2014 Philadelphia PGA Junior Player of the Year and was a two-time junior club champion at Merion Golf Club.
“Peter is coming off a fantastic summer and dropped as low as 280 in the national rankings,” said Binney. “We expect big things from him as his career progresses, and right now he can be a contributor right off the bat.”
Players Mentioned
