Led by freshman phenom Eric Fritz, the Liberty League Rookie of the year, RPI’s golf team started off its season by shooting a team record low score of 303 the second day of competition at the Tim Brown Invitational in Saratoga Springs, at Skidmore College on the 9th and 10th of September.
The team finished eighth out of 14 teams in the two-day tournament. Fritz led the team by shooting a 78-74 for a total of 152.
Also competing for Rensselaer were senior Greg West, junior Matt Neeley, senior Steven Petsche, and senior Steve Camillieri. West shot a 157, Neeley and Petsche shot 158, respectively, and Camillieri shot a 164.
From there the team went on to play in the Duke Nelson Tournament in Middlebury, V.T. on the 15th and 16th of September. In back-to-back days the RPI men finished 17th of 26, and 14th of 25.
The Spartan Invitational on September 26 was next for the Red Hawks, who finished fourth place in the five team event.
The following week, on the 30th, RPI placed fifth in the Liberty League Championship Tournament, which was also held in Saratoga Springs.
The Hamilton Invitational, held on October 6 and 7, saw Rensselaer finish seventh on Saturday and 12th on Sunday.
The men rounded out the year by hosting the Rensselaer Invitational in Queensbury, N.Y. The men placed first in the four team event. Closing out the year with a strong performance throughout, the Red Hawks toppled Castleton State University and Manhattanville College on the 21st and 22nd of October.
Individual standouts from the Rensselaer Invitational include senior Joe Choma, who shot a 77-81 for the lowest overall score of the match and was named to the All-Tournament Team.
Fritz finished fourth overall with a 82-79 for a total score of 161 and was also named to the All-Tournament team. He finished in the top 20 in five of the six matches he competed in this season. Both Choma and Fritz were tabbed by the Liberty Leagues for their weekly awards.
