Princeton University Athletics
1998-99 Year in Review
August 10, 1999 | Men's Golf
T he men's golf team went into last season with high expectations. The team had peaked at the end of the spring season in 1998 and was looking to continue that success in 1999. Coach Dick Hunt had the confidence and optimism for a big year.
The Tigers ended 1998 with a flourish, finishing third at the Princeton Invitational and winning the Scotty Duncan Memorial tournament, the final event of the year. Princeton returned all-district performer Ben McConahey as team captain. Add in the ball striking talents of senior Rob Hays, junior Judd Pritchard, and sophomores Peter McWhorter and Max Gage and you might be able to see how Hunt's confidence grew.
The fall season began at the Pirate Invitational, hosted by Seton Hall. Going into the weekend the 15-team field was considered to be the toughest in the district. The competition did not disappoint. The top three finishers, Seton Hall, Penn State and Rutgers, annually battle for the top position in the district. Princeton had a rough go of it, as it finished 10th overall. McConahey finished in a tie for 17th place with a two-day total of 155. In the fall of 1997 Princeton finished a disappointing ninth at the Hoya Invitational. Luckily for the Tigers the fall of 1998 was much different. McConahey finished in a tie for third place overall and the team finished sixth. McConahey fired a round-best four-under 68 on the second day of the tournament to lead the Tigers.
After a less than stellar 10th place performance at the Walter T. McLaughlin Invitational, the Tigers straightened things out at the Stabler Invitational in mid-October. McConahey finished sixth with a two-day 149. Hays and Pritchard finished in a tie for 21st with scores of 155. A strong performance by the whole team lifted the Tigers to a fourth-place finish and built up their confidence as they ventured to the James Madison Invitational October 25. The Tigers rallied for a fifth-place finish. Pritchard led the hard-charging Tigers with the tournament's second-lowest score in the final round with a 72.
The JMU tournament left the Tigers with four Top 10 finishes in five events. It also led them to the spring with a reserve of confidence they could tap into. The first tournament of the spring was the Navy Spring Invitational in Annapolis. Pritchard was the top Princeton finisher with a two-day total of 148, good for fifth in the individual competition. The team put together a combined score of 615 for sixth place. The major competitors of the district were the usual suspects once again as Seton Hall won the team competition easily.
In 1998 Princeton finished fourth at the Ivy League championship. This season the Tigers worked hard to better that finish, but Columbia and Yale ended up tying for the crown (Columbia eventually won the title outright by the score of its fifth player). Penn finished third and then it was Princeton batting cleanup for the second consecutive year. McConahey, McWhorter and Pritchard all tied for 10th place with 222s.
Coming back to New Jersey for their only home match of the season was a welcomed sight for the Tigers. Springdale Golf Club was overcome with gray clouds and rain for the first day of competition, but the players courageously trudged through the inclement weather. The Tigers shot an even 600 in the two-day event for a fourth-place finish. McConahey ended in a tie for the overall title, but lost in a sudden-death playoff to Temple's Steve Probst.
The final event of the season was arguably one of the most prestigious. It boasted the toughest teams at the Rutherford Intercollegiate at Penn State's Blue Course, one of the nicest settings in the northeast. The 54-hole event found a tested Tiger squad primed and ready for action. With the host Nittany Lions winning the championship, Princeton finished eighth overall. McConahey led the Tigers with a 217 that left him in a tie for the eighth individual spot.
The Tigers lose four seniors, including McConahey to graduation, but with solid players like Pritchard, McWhorter and Milam returning, Coach Hunt knows he will have a strong team next season.