Men’s Golf Posts Second Straight Runner-Up Finish, Tanabe Third at Cornell Invitational

Sunday, September 15

Ithaca, N.Y. (RTJ GC)

All Day

Bucknell University

Cornell Invitational

Men’s Golf Posts Second Straight Runner-Up Finish, Tanabe Third at Cornell Invitational

9/15/2019 5:10:00 PM | Men's Golf

FINAL RESULTS

ITHACA, N.Y. – Chris Tanabe shot a career-best, 4-under-par 67, and the Bucknell men's golf team for the second straight week parlayed a terrific Sunday round into a second-place finish. The Bison compiled a 3-under 281, the best in the Cornell Invitational field by four shots, and finished second to Columbia by just a single stroke.

Last week at Colgate's Alex Lagowitz Memorial Invitational, Bucknell put up a field-best 289 that moved the Bison from seventh place all the way up to second. This time the Bison used three scores of even par or better to move up from fifth to second, and after trailing Columbia by 11 shots entering the third and final round, they outshot the Lions 281-291 but fell one shot short.

Columbia finished at 866 over 54 holes, followed by Bucknell at 867. Cornell, which was the lone team to beat the Bison last week at Colgate, finished third at 869. Bucknell now has an aggregate record of 30-2 through two weeks this season.

Tanabe capped off one of his finest collegiate performances with the 67, which came on the heels of a 70-74 showing on Saturday. His 211 total put him in a tie for third place with Siena's Jack Tobin. Medalist Michael O'Brien of Saint Joseph's finished with a 66 to post a 6-under 207, while Columbia's Daniel Core was the runner-up at 3-under.

Tanabe made six birdies on Sunday, including three in a row in one stretch on holes 6, 7 and 8. He got it to 5-under with another birdie at 13 before giving one back with a bogey at 17. Tanabe's 12 birdies for the weekend were fifth-most in the field, three shy of O'Brien's tournament-best 15.

The Bison received major contributions from two freshmen, Jack Gardner and Blake Wisdom. Gardner closed with an even-par 71 after shooting 73-73 a day earlier. He finished T-14th in the field of 90 players with a 54-hole total of 217. Gardner made four birdies in a span of six holes on Sunday.

Wisdom shot 72-75-72 at Cornell and just missed a top-20 finish (T-21st).

Peter Bradbeer bounced back from a tough day on Saturday with a final-round 71. Bradbeer birdied holes 6, 9 and 10 to offset his three bogeys.

Jason Lohwater's 75 was tied for the lowest non-counting final-round score in the field. Lohwater was 1-under through 12 holes before giving back some strokes down the stretch.

Bucknell's pair of second-place finishes matches the team's best start in 10 years. The Bison started out the 2009-10 campaign with a runner-up effort at Colgate followed by a win at the Bucknell Invitational in week two.

The Bison will look to keep the strong start going next weekend at the Dartmouth Invitational. Bucknell won Dartmouth's tournament a year ago, although it was played at a different course. This year's event will be held at Hanover Country Club.