Men's Golf Set for Yale Invitational, Finegan Invitational

Setting the Scene, Part I

What: 2018 Yale Spring Invitational
When: Saturday, Apr. 14 (7:20 a.m. tee times off 1 & 10)
Where: Par-70, 6,749-yard The Course at Yale, New Haven, Conn.
The Field: 15 teams (Yale, Brown, Bucknell, Central Connecticut, Colgate, Cornell, Fairfield, Fordham, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Pennsylvania, Siena, St. John's, Tennessee and Virginia)
Live Scoring: GolfStat.com

Setting the Scene, Part II

What: 2018 Finegan Invitational, hosted by La Salle
When: Monday, Apr. 16
Where: Par-70, 6,702-yard Chester Valley GC, Malvern, Pa.
The Field: TBA

About the Bison

• Bucknell is slated to compete in two single-day, 36-hole events in the coming days. The Bison will play at the Yale Spring Invitational on Saturday before heading to the Philadelphia area for the Finegan Invitational, hosted by La Salle at Chester Valley GC.

• The Bison won the Yale Spring Invitational two years ago, and three members of that winning lineup will be back at the Course at Yale on Saturday. Juniors J.P. Raftery, Connor O'Brien and Jubal Early were freshmen at the time of that victory, and now they will be joined by current freshman Chris Tanabe and sophomore Peter Bradbeer.

• Bradbeer, Tanabe, J.B. Thompson, Jack Gregor and Ashton Radvansky will play in the Finegan Invitational. Bradbeer (Rosemont) and Gregor (North Wales) are both natives of the Philadelphia area.

• The Bison have played two spring events thus far, one a match-play format and the other a more-traditional stroke-play tournament. After going 1-2 at the Checkmate Match Play Challenge on Apr. 1, last week the Bison finished 13th in a field of 19 at the Wildcat Invitational, hosted by Villanova. Bucknell posted rounds of 301 and 297 at White Manor CC. Raftery carded a 2-over 73 in the opening round, but he was unable to go in the second round due to illness. But all four remaining players shot 75 or better, led by a 73 from O'Brien.

• Raftery had the team's low fall scoring average at 74.4. Over the full season, Raftery has played 16 competitive rounds and shot 75 or better in 11 of them, including a 3-under 67 at the Bucknell Invitational. He finished T-6th there and T-7th at the Quechee Club Challenge in Vermont.

• Just behind Raftery on Bucknell's statistical leaderboard is O'Brien with a 75.1 average, Bradbeer at 75.9 and Tanabe at 76.0.

• Bucknell accounted for six sub-par rounds in the fall. Raftery had three of them: a 3-under 67 at the Bucknell Invitational along with 1-under 71s at the Quechee Club Challenge and the Turning Stone-Tiger Invitational. O'Brien posted a 4-under 67 at the Cornell Invitational and a 1-under 71 at the Lehigh Invitational, and Tanabe had a 1-under 71 at the Colgate Invitational.

Bucknell at the Yale Spring Invitational

• Bucknell is appearing in Yale's spring tournament for the third straight year. The Bison won the event in 2016 with rounds of 295-300. Last year, similar scores of 297-301 were good for seventh place. Raftery shot 74-70 last year to finish T-5th.

• The Bison have also played at Yale in a number of fall competitions through the years, including the MacDonald Cup this past fall. Bucknell was in fifth place after 36 holes after posting 291-291, but a 309 final round dropped the Bison to 10th. O'Brien was the team's top finisher. He was T-9th after posting 70-71-75.

• Yale is the defending team champion. The Bulldogs put up rounds of 284-285, led by 73-66 from medalist Will Bernstein.

Bucknell at the Finegan Invitational

• This will be Bucknell's third appearance at the Finegan Invitational. The Bison posted their best finish last spring, placing ninth with scores of 302-317 at Whitemarsh Valley CC. O'Brien's 74 was Bucknell's best first-round score, while Early and Raftery led the way with 78s in the afternoon.

• Longwood won this event last season with scores of 295-291. The Lancers also had the medalist in Jordan Boulton, who finished at 4-under (69-71).

Up Next

• Following these two competitions, the Bison will have two weeks to prepare for the Patriot League Championship, which will be hosted by Lehigh on Apr. 28-29 at Saucon Valley CC.