ENDICOTT, N.Y. — Sophomore
Ronav Benak fired a tournament-best 7-under-par 65 in Monday's final round to surge up the leaderboard and capture the individual title at the CNY Challenge Cup tri-match against Binghamton and Le Moyne.
Behind Benak's performance and the lowest single-round team score of the event, Colgate Golf carded a second-round 289 (+1) to secure a tied second-place finish alongside Le Moyne.
The Raiders finished the 36-hole event with a total score of 601 (+29), rebounding from an opening-round 312 to finish just one stroke behind team champion Binghamton (600).
Colgate claimed top honors in the tri-match point standings, pacing the field with 18.5 points ahead of Binghamton (12.5) and Le Moyne (11). Competing across seven groups, teams were awarded two points for the lowest score on each hole, one point for second, and zero for third, with points split evenly for ties.
Coach Kircher's Comments
"It was a great couple of days. Bellevue is a challenging golf course with incredible history—having hosted a PGA Tour event that Tiger Woods played in—so it was really neat to bring our guys here. I was extremely impressed with Ronav shooting a 65 to claim individual medalist honors. We had a lot of fun competing in the points-match format and coming out on top. The guys handled their groupings really well and embraced the unique challenge. It was a fantastic Central New York event, and we're excited to carry this momentum into Lake Placid."
How It Happened
Benak claimed the individual crown with an even-par 143 (78-65), edging Le Moyne's Jacob Moody by a single stroke. His 7-under final round marked the lowest 18-hole score recorded by any player in the field.
Playing as an individual, Jonathan Brubaker tied for fourth place after registering rounds of 76 and 73 for a 6-over 149. Brubaker's steady 1-over 73 on Monday secured his top-five finish.
Leo Li provided key scoring for the team lineup, carding rounds of 77 and 75 to place seventh overall at 9-over 152. Li's performance earned him a top-10 result.
Alex Hill engineered a sharp second-round turnaround, bouncing back from an opening 80 with a 1-over 73. Hill tied for ninth place overall with a two-round total of 153 (+10).
Joshua McGown joined Hill in a tie for ninth place at 10-over 153 after turning in consistent rounds of 77 and 76. His efforts helped fuel Colgate's overall movement up the leaderboard.
Gabriel Garson-Goroway delivered an impressive individual outing, highlighting his tournament with an 11-stroke second-round improvement. Rebounding from an opening 83, he carded an even-par 72 to tie for 15th place at 155 (+12).
Chad Ruggiero rounded out Colgate's team competitors, posting scores of 80 and 78 to place tied for 18th with a two-round total of 158 (+15).
Up Next
Colgate returns to action next weekend for the Autumn Invitational, Oct. 3-4, at the Lake Placid Country Club in Lake Placid, N.Y.
