Statesmen Rally for Fourth-Place Finish in Fall Finale
Columbia, Mo.–The William Penn men’s golf team heads into the offseason on a high note as a strong second day of play assisted in a top-five finish at the Columbia Invitational Monday and Tuesday.
WPU placed fourth out of 12 teams with a two-round score of 586 (301-285) at the par-71 Columbia Country Club. Host Columbia took the team title at 570 (281-289).
Sitting in eighth after the opening 18 holes of competition, the navy and gold posted Tuesday’s lowest team score to jump four spots.
Landon Mabe of Columbia and Zephyr Zhong of Mount Mercy topped the 67-player field by tying at 140.
Led by a three-under 68 on the second day (had a 74 on the first day), Kaedyn Funnell-Wong (Fr., Auckland, New Zealand, General Accounting) tied for third at 142, just two strokes back of the leaders. His tournament included six birdies.
“I am very happy for Kaedyn and how his first collegiate fall went,” Head Coach Darin Fisher said. “He has all the tools, and I am excited to see his progression.”
Mario Palain (So., Zaragoza, Spain, Business Management) was next for WPU, tying for 13th at 145 (75-70). He matched Funnell-Wong with six birdies.
Elliot Lorentzon (Jr., Stockholm, Sweden, Business Management) narrowly missed the top 20, tying for 23rd at 148 (75-73). The junior posted five birdies during the two rounds.
Tyler Pedretti (Jr., Upland, Calif., Business Management), in a tie for 31st at 151 (77-74), and Maxence Moreau (So., Lyon, France, Applied Mathematics), in a tie for 43rd at 155 (77-78), completed the Statesmen team scoring. Pedretti managed two birdies, while Moreau had three.
Samuel Arnaud (So., Saint-Maur-des-Fosses, France, Biology), playing as an individual, used three birdies and the squad’s lone eagle to tie for 35th with a final score of 153 (78-75).
“The guys got off to a bit of a slow start on Monday as we did not emphasize the proper game plan enough,” Fisher said. “We were out of position a lot, and did not give ourselves enough birdie chances. Some courses need a conservative approach, and we simply did not expand, digging ourselves a big hole against some really good teams.”
“Fortunately, we adjusted nicely on the second day,” Fisher added. “I challenged our guys to stay patient, execute the plan, and they really responded nicely. I am very proud of them and their effort. We are growing, and we will learn to win together. This team has talent, and I know once we get over the hump and win, great things are going to come.”
