ANNAPOLIS, Md. //
Sebastian Alonzo (So / Azusa, Calif.),
Danny Auffant (Sr / Bellevue, Wash.) and
Collin Alstrin (Fr / Prosper, Texas) placed among the top 25 to help lead the Navy men's golf team to a seventh-place team finish at The Goat held Saturday and Sunday at the Naval Academy Golf Club in Annapolis. The Mids shot a 26-over par 878 (293-292-293), finishing just four strokes out of the top five.
Sorting Out the Finish
George Washington, who trailed William & Mary by just one stroke heading into the final round, earned the team title by posting a 1-over par 285 on Sunday and finished the tournament with a 4-over par 856 (290-281-285). Georgetown used a 4-under par 280 in the final round to place second (286-293-280-859), while Saint Joseph's (299-284-280=863) and William & Mary (289-281-293=863) tied for third and Holy Cross rounded out the top five with a 22-over par 874 (291-292-291).
Navy, who was tied for seventh alongside Patriot League foe Colgate heading into the final round, was able to separate itself from the Raiders over the final 18 holes, but the Mids were unable to catch the frontrunners on Sunday. Navy finished just two strokes behind sixth-place UConn (289-295-292=876), who had two players finish inside the top 10 including individual medalist Kai Jun Huang.
Huang faced Georgetown's Carson Erick and William & Mary's Preston Burton in a playoff for individual medalist honors after the trio covered the tournament with a 2-under 211. Erick was eliminated after the second playoff hole and Huang birdied the third playoff hole (#9) to secure the victory after Burton narrowly missed the cup.
Navy Notes
Alonzo secured his first-career top-10 performance by shooting a 2-over par 73 in Sunday's final round. He recorded six birdies over the weekend en route to his 2-over par 215, his lowest three-round score and lowest in relation to par. Finishing in a three-way tie for ninth, Alonzo finished just four strokes behind the leaders and three strokes outside of the top five.
Meanwhile, Auffant and Alstrin shot mirroring rounds throughout the tournament to tie for 25th with a 7-over par 220. The two shot 74, 74 and were a stroke over in the final round with a 72. This was Auffant's third tournament appearance in the last 14 days, while Alstrin made just his second-career appearance after playing in the opener Sept. 7-9 at the Folds of Honor Collegiate. Auffant birdied eight holes on the weekend, including three in the final round. Alstrin made six birdies and also had three over the final 18 holes.
Rounding out Navy's "A" team was
Tim Luckett (So / Annapolis, Md.) in 37th with a 10-over par 223 (74-73-76) and
Payton Cowhey (Fr / Tallahassee, Fla.) in 71st with a 22-over par 235 (76-81-78).
Navy's "B" squad finished in 14th place (306-296-207=909 / +57) and was paced by
Hudson Mitchell (So / Pensacola, Fla.). The second-year player turned in a 10-over par 223 to finish 37th, followed by
Josh Durthaler (So / Dunwoody, Ga.) in 49th (69-76-80=225), Elijah Estonillo (Fr / Allen, Texas) in 59th (79-74-76=229), team captain
Luke Lombardo (Sr / Severna Park, Md.) in 64th (80-75-77=232) and
Logan Francis (Fr / Annville, Pa.) in 81st (83-77-84=244).
Additionally, Navy had four players who competed independently as individuals, including
Daniel Ho (So / Spring Valley, Calif.) who birdied four times in the final round to save his best for last with a 2-over par 73. He placed 55th with a 15-over par 228.
Ed Scott (Jr / Lemont, Ill.) finished 74th (77-80-79=236),
James Devore (Jr / Porter, Texas) was 77th (78-80-79=237) and
Mason Keisch (So / Miami Beach, Fla.) placed 84th (92-81-90=263).
What's Ahead
Navy will use the next two weeks to turn its attention to and prepare for the annual Star Match against Army. The Mids will travel to West Point to battle the Cadets on Oct. 3-4. Last year, the Mids won four of the first-five singles matches to secure a 6-5 victory over the Black Knights in the annual Star Match.
### Go Navy ###
