The golf team kicked off its season this past weekend with a second-place finish in the season-opening tournament. Emory was one of 18 teams competing in the Rhodes Classic, which was a a36-hole event played on the Tunica Hills National Golf Course in Tunica, Miss.
The course is a long par 72 that measures 7,125 yards. The tournament was supposed to be a two-day event that was expected to be played this past Sunday and Monday, but heavy rain and gusty winds on Monday interrupted the second day, cancelling the golf for the day and limiting the tournament to a one-day event.
"I was happy with the way we played on Sunday ... and disappointed we did not get to play on Monday," Head Coach John Sjoberg said.
The Eagles showed up to their first competition of the year with an older, more experienced team, consisting of one senior, three juniors and a sophomore.
Emory finished the tournament with a total score of 294, trailing only Southwestern University (Texas), which finished with a combined score of 281.
Sophomore Alex Wunderlich shot the best score on the team, coming in with a three under 69 and finishing second overall behind Southwestern University sophomore Jordan Cowart, who shot a seven under 65. Wunderlich birdied the 18th hole to put the team into second place, and to place himself in second individually.
"[It] didn't seem overly important at the time, but the second round got rained out so it ended up being pretty big," Wunderlich said. "Coach always stresses that every shot counts, even in the first round, and the fact that everyone played well right from the start really paid off."
Sjoberg described the rest of the team's play as "very mature," and was happy that they "stayed patient and scored well." Senior David Collura finished in a tie for 20th, shooting 74, while junior Will Roth finished in a tie for 29th, shooting 75. Junior Alec Berens shot 76 while junior Johnathan Chen shot 77. Emory finished in front of a number of colleges including Berry College, who finished third, the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (Texas), who finished fourth, and Centre College (Ky.) and the University of Texas at Dallas, who finished in a tie for fifth.
The team would've had a chance to catch the first place leading Southwestern University on Monday if it had not been for the weather.
"It was disappointing that we didn't get a chance to play the second round and try to catch the leaders," Wunderlich said. "But seconnd place was a solid start to the season, and I think we can build off that."
The team's next tournament is on Oct. 1 and 2 at the Gordin Intercollegiate, hosted by Ohio Wesleyan at Columbus (Ohio) Country Club.
–By Brian Chavkin
