REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. -- Three Navy golfers placed in the top 10 to lead the Mids to their second-consecutive team title this spring, winning the Rehoboth Beach Spring Invitational held Monday at the Kings Creek Country Club. The Mids dominated the field early on, holding an eight-stroke lead over George Washington after the first-18 holes. The Mids shot the fourth-best score over the second 18 holes, however, Navy claimed the tournament win with a seven-stroke lead over the Colonials. Columbia jumped from seventh to third after turning in the best final-round score (309). The Lions edged out Villanova by one stroke (629, +53).'This was a good day,' said Navy head coach Pat Owen. 'It was a great team win for us and gives us good momentum going into the Patriot League Tournament.'
Villanova's Henry Watson had to come from behind to win the individual title. After shooting a first-round 3-over par 75, Watson came back to turn in a 3-under par for an even 144, beating out Navy's Billy Hurley (Leesburg, Va.) and Brian Crum (Fairfax, Va.). Hurley held the early lead in the tournament as he posted a 3-under par 69 after the first-18 holes, just a one-stroke lead over Crum. Both Hurley and Crum stumbled a bit in the second round, as Hurley produced a 77 and Crum recorded a 76 as the two players tied for second with GW's Brian Carroll with a 2-over par 146.
Joining Crum and Hurley in the top 10 was Navy senior Nick Rogers (Lothian, Md.) who tallied a 9-over par 153. Rounding out the scoring for the Mids were junior Joey Kistler (Savannah, Ga.) and sophomore Rocky Novellino (Bayville, N.J.). The pair finished in a tie for 42nd with each turning in 21-over par marks.
As a team, Navy has finished all six of its tournaments this spring in the top 10, while in the last three, the Mids have claimed two titles (Navy Spring Invitational and Rehoboth Beach Spring Invitational) and finished second at another (Drew Upton Tiger Classic). Individually, a Navy player has finished fifth or better in four of the six tournaments and three in the top three.
The Mids will get a much-deserved break this week as they prepare for the Patriot League Championship held April 26-27 at the Saucon Valley Country Club in Bethlehem, Pa. Navy will look to reclaim the league title, as it has won the tournament and moved on to the NCAA Regionals in two of the last three years.
Pl. School Scores Pl.
1 Navy 297-312 - 609 +33
2 George Washington 305-311 - 616 +40
3 Columbia 319-309 - 628 +52
4 Villanova 310-319 - 629 +53
5 Drexel 326-310 - 636 +60
6 Iona 321-316 - 637 +61
Long Island 318-319 - 637 +61
8 Bucknell 310-328 - 638 +62
9 Delaware 322-318 - 640 +64
10 Monmouth 317-325 - 642 +66
11 Niagara 324-319 - 643 +67
12 Colgate 321-328 - 649 +73
13 Mount St. Mary's 319-331- 650 +74
14 Hofstra 328-332 - 660 +84
15 St. Peter's 341-333 - 674 +98