April 21, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The 37th annual Rutherford Intercollegiate came to a close Sunday when host team Penn State tied-for-3rd overall with Minnesota, shooting a 304-294-298 (896) at the Blue Course.
The Nittany Lions faced a setback during round two of the tournament when sophomore Jens Talbert (Little Rock, Ark.) had to withdraw from play due to injury. However, the team battled back in the final round to maintain a strong showing. Sophomore Xander McDonald-Smith (Rockaway Park, N.Y.) led the starters for Penn State, finishing third overall with his 7-over-par 220. Senior Anthony DeGol (Hollidaysburg, Pa.) followed closely, shooting a 77 on the day to finish with a 222 total and a tied-for-7th placing.
Freshman Chris Houston (Gilford, N.H.) was a stroke behind DeGol, tying-for-10th overall with his 223 mark. Senior Jay Woodward (Bridgeport, W. Va.) completed the team score for the Nittany Lions with his 232 total after 54 holes of play.
It was freshman JD Dornes (Lancaster, Pa.) who had a breakout performance at the Penn State Blue Course this weekend. Playing as an individual, Dornes maintained his first place ranking from day one, shooting a 74 in the final round to total a 3-over-par 216. Xavier's Tanapol Vattanapisit was able to match Dornes' three round total, forcing a tiebreaker in the late afternoon. Vattanapisit ultimately came away with the playoff victory.
Four remaining Nittany Lions competed as individuals. Junior Shane Stewart (Dublin, Ohio) matched teammate Houston on the leader board, finishing tied-for-10th overall. Senior Matthew Porter (Cortland, N.Y.) and sophomore Ryan Worthy (Chester Springs, Pa.) both posted a 54-hole total of 234, tying-for-47th. The final Penn State player to mark the leaderboard was freshman Geoff Vartelas (Cromwell, Conn.) who shot a 236 in three rounds at the Blue Course.
Binghamton managed a come-from-behind victory in the final round of the Rutherford Intercollegiate, finishing five strokes ahead of runner-up Xavier with their 890 team score.
The 2013 Rutherford Intercollegiate marked the end of regular season play for the Nittany Lions. The men's golf Big Ten Championships will take place April 26-28 in French Lick, Ind.