Gary Barton Claims Second Place at Princeton Invitational

W&M Improves to 15th

04/10/04 11:59PM

PRINCETON, NJ - Junior co-captain Gary Barton (Staten Island, NY) fired a second-round 72 (+1) for a 36-hole total of 142 (E) to capture second at the Princeton Invitational. As a team, William and Mary chopped two strokes of its first round total with a second-round effort of 309 to improve to 15th in the final standings, tieing Iona at 620 strokes. Princeton won the 23-team tournament, held on the par-71, 6,390-yard Springdale Golf Club in Princeton, NJ, by shooting 292-291--583. Navy Billy Hurley picked up individual medalist honors with a 139 (-3) after playing round two at level par, finishing three shots ahead of Barton and Princeton’s Jason Gerken.

Barton, who fired a strong 70 (-1) in the opening round, followed that effort with a solid 71 (+1) for the final 18. Barton’s total of even-par 142 earned him his second runner-up showing of the season and also represents the third time Barton has finished at or below par this year.

Freshman Hunter Watts (Keswick, VA) shot his second consecutive round of 79 (+8) to finish tied for 75th at 158. Sophomore Jeff Steckmest (Pacific Palisades, CA) erased five strokes from his first-round total, and jumped 10 positions up the leaderboard, with a second-round effort of 77 (+6) to improve to 81st at 159 (+17). Freshman Ryan Price (Chantilly, VA) finished in 92nd after carding a second-round 81 to go with his first-round 80 for a total of 161. Senior co-captain Robert Himel (Chappaqua, NY) improved four strokes over his total from the first 18 with a second-round of 82 to finish at 168 in 114th place.

Men’s golf is back in action at the CAA Championships, April 15-18, in Suffolk, VA.

Princeton Invitational FINAL Results

Team Standings
1 Princeton University 291-292--583 +15
2 Towson University 298-289--587 +19
3 Georgetown Univ. 293-297--590 +22
4 Temple University 297-294--591 +23
5 George Washington 292-302--594 +26

T15 Wm. & Mary 311-309--620 +52

Top Individuals
Pl Golfer Team Score
1 Billy Hurley Navy 68-71--139 -3
2 Gary Barton W&M 70-72--142 E
Jason Gerken Princeton 72-70--142 E
4 Creighton Page Princeton 71-72--143 +1
5 James Farrah Georgetown 72-72--144 +2
Alex Brueggemann Towson 76-68--144 +2

W&M Individuals
T2 Gary Barton W&M 70-72--142 E
T75 Hunter Watts W&M 79-79--158 +16
T81 Jeff Steckmest W&M 82-77--159 +17
T92 Ryan Price W&M 80-81--161 +19
114 Robert Himel W&M 86-82--168 +26