FALL 2019 RECAP
Fall 2019 was one to remember for Bonnies golf - from some strong showings in tournaments to an unforgettable trip to Ireland, the fall season certainly brought some highlights for members of the program.
The season began with a 12th-place finish out of 18 teams at the Alex Lagowitz Memorial Invitational at Colgate, but the Bonnies bounced right back with a win in the Little Three Championship just two days later. The team continued a stretch of 144 holes in a week with another 54-hole tournament at Cornell, showing well by finishing fourth out of 16 squads.
At Cornell, junior Christian Chapman turned in a 54-hole total that ranks 11th in program history (215) including back-to-back scores of 1-under 70.
After the trip to Ireland, the Bonnies wrapped up the fall with a trek to North Carolina for the Old Dominion Invitational at Kilmarlic Golf Club. The team didn't get the result they wanted there, finishing 14th, but showed signs throughout the fall of being able to be near the top of the leaderboard by the time Sunday at the Atlantic 10 Championship rolls around.
LITTLE THREE CHAMPS AGAIN
The Bonnies rolled to another Little Three Championship in September, defeating Western New York rivals Canisius and Niagara. This year's event was extra special as the team was able to defend its championship on home soil at the Bartlett Country Club in Olean. St. Bonaventure sailed to victory on its home course of Bartlett Country Club with a winning team score of 578 following matching rounds of 289. The Bonnies were 20 strokes better than Canisius (598) and 23 clear of Niagara (601).
St. Bonaventure remained the dominant program in the area by winning the Little Three Championship for the 42nd time in 66 tries. The Bonnies have also won the Little Three in each of the past four years.
Nolan Ditcher showed the way, finishing at the top of the individual leaderboard. Nolan set the tone for the day by carding birdies on two of his first three holes – the par-4 first and the par-3 third. A pair of bogeys on six and eight had him at even par at the turn, but he got things rolling with back-to-back birdies at 11 and 12 and added his fifth birdie of the round at the 17th before dropping a shot on the last to settle for 2-under 68.
In the afternoon, he was able to grind out a 4-over 74, enough to win by three strokes in the field of 26 competitors with a 142 (+2) total for the day. His total of nine birdies were two clear of anyone else in the field and his opening round was the only one in red figures all day. With the win, Ditcher earned a spot in next summer's Porter Cup.
A BONNIE GOOD TIME IN THE EMERALD ISLE
The Bonnies went on a trip of a lifetime in October, traveling to the Emerald Isle Oct. 2-8. The team had the opportunity to play some of Europe's finest courses, teeing it up at Portmarnock, Island Club, Waterville, Tralee and Doonbeg.
"The foundation for a trip like this was set up long ago, during the Steve Campbell coaching era. The relationships built with players while student-athletes continued into lifelong friendships, and to this day, that bond remains intact. He continues to oversee our program, talk and email with alumni and boosters, and without a doubt remains the heartbeat of what we do every day. We are so grateful for him and the Campbell family." - Head coach Ryan Swanson
MESSAGE FROM COACH SWANSON
Happy New Year Bonnies Golf Fans!
We hope this newsletter finds you all well and warm! It’s been a busy few months here on campus. We had what will likely go down as the most memorable fall in the history of the program, highlighted by our trip to Ireland in October.
We got off to bit of a rusty start through qualifying and at Colgate, but we took the positives from those first couple weeks and had a nice performance at The Little Three. It was our turn to host and it was terrific to get back to Bartlett for an event. We had a beautiful day, the course was set up tough, and our guys shined as we handled Canisius and Niagara. This performance led to a very good showing at Cornell where we saw a complete team effort in our final tune up before the Ireland trip. We ended the fall in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, at beautiful Kilmarlic Golf Club, hosted by Old Dominion University. We struggled a bit, but learned where we are as a team and what we need to clean up this winter. A recap of these events are in this newsletter.
IRELAND!!!! We enjoyed five of the most stunning golf venues in the world; Portmarnock, The Island Club, Tralee, Waterville, and Doonbeg. We stayed in Dublin the first night, Killarney for three nights, and Doolin the final night. The trip was a once-in-a-lifetime type trip and one the team, alumni, and parents that went will never forget.
Personally, I was lucky enough to have four of my closest Bonnie friends on the trip; Steve Campbell (my college coach while at SBU '04-'08), my college roommate Norm Strotman '08, another teammate Nate Peck '10, and friend of the program Jeff Pratt '07. We are already planning our trip back, however, I refuse to continue to look for Jeff and Norm’s golf balls in the fescue on the next trip. In all seriousness, sharing this trip with those guys meant the world and their support of this program is unwavering and greatly appreciated. Alum Ryan Mosher also made the trip and fit in like he was on our team. Call it a cult, or whatever, but Bonnies Golf Alums can pick up right where they left off, no matter how many years in between, and even if they’d never met.
A number of parents also made the trip, as well as a couple brothers of players. The Lemays, Tami Phillips and Adam Ditcher, Steve Geise, The Siningers, The Gianninys, and The Chapmans. It was a terrific group and I know it was incredibly special for each player that had family there. It was also terrific getting to spend time with all these families and getting to know one another.
We have had so much support over the years from alumni of all ages, parents, and friends of the program. Without it, this trip never happens, so again we say Thank You. We hope to continue trips like this in the future for our student-athletes, who certainly earn it on the golf course and in the classroom (as we are always battling for the highest team GPA on campus). The ten gentlemen we have on the roster show tremendous character on the golf course, in the classroom, and in the community. You can be proud to support this team and know that we are providing an unforgettable four years for all of them.
From all of us here at SBU Golf: We wish you a very happy holiday season and a safe and healthy 2020.
It will be a busy and exciting spring for Bonnies Golf! The spring starts with Match Play in Florida in February and is highlighted by a trip out west - first to San Diego for Spring Break then tournament play in Las Vegas! It all culminates in a trip back to Florida for the A-10 Championship. Check the entire schedule below.
BONNIES GOLF 2020 SPRING SCHEDULE
Feb. 17-18 - President's Day Match Play - Weston, Fla. (Weston Hills CC)
Feb. 29 - March 4 - Spring Break - San Diego, Ca.
March 6 - 8 - Jackrabbit Invitational - Las Vegas, Nev. (Boulder Creek GC)
March 22-23 - Golden Horseshoe Intercollegiate - Williamsburg, Va. (Golden Horseshoe Resort - Gold Course)
April 6-7 - Villanova Wildcat Spring Invitational - Malvern, Pa. (White Manor CC)
April 18 - Alan Palmer Cup - Atlanta, Ga. (East Lake GC)
April 24 - 26 - Atlantic 10 Championship - Orlando, Fla. (Reunion Resort)
NEW YEAR, NEW MATCH PLAY FORMAT
The spring season gets underway with the annual Match Play tournament in Florida. Formerly the Atlantic 10 Match Play Championship, this year's event will not be A-10-centric and instead open to teams from several different conferences. The Bonnies open with a first round match against Belmont Monday, Feb. 17. St. Bonaventure is seeded sixth in the eight-team tournament while Belmont is the third seed. The winner of that match advances to play No. 2 Mercer/No. 7 Florida Gulf Coast in the afternoon round. A champion will be crowned Tuesday, Feb. 18. The field also includes George Washington, Morehead State, Eastern Kentucky and Austin Peay.
Barbara Robotti-Murray ’68 Challenge Update
Thanks to the generosity of those who support Bonnies Golf, we are halfway to our goal of $35,000 through the Barbara Robotti-Murray ’68 Challenge set up at the start of this year.
Named for Barbara Robotti-Murray '68, the late wife of St. Bonaventure alumnus Ed Murray '68, we honor her memory with this challenge to our donors and also by naming an annual scholarship for our golfers in her name. These fundraising dollars will go directly toward our student-athletes with the goal of providing them an unforgettable experience while at SBU and four years that will set them up for success far beyond their time in Brown and White. If we can reach $35,000, we have an alum who is willing to add an additional $25,000!
These funds helped make our trip to Ireland a possibility and will support our Spring Break trip to California and tournament in Las Vegas as well as the rest of the spring schedule. Your donations also go toward funding golf van maintenance, upgrades to the indoor facility, apparel upgrades for the team and more.
We continue to take strides forward as a program and can’t do that without the support of all those who help Bonnies Golf and, more importantly, our student-athletes. These guys will have four years of their lives they will never forget thanks to your support!
To support the Challenge, checks can be made payable to: Bonnies Athletic Fund (note Men’s Golf on check) Mail to: Ryan Swanson, Head Golf Coach // St. Bonaventure University / PO Box G / St. Bonaventure, N.Y. 14778
We continue to be proud of the work of our student-athletes in the classroom! The grades are in from the fall semester and the guys continue to do great work academically. As a team, our semester GPA was 3.481 and the average cumulative GPA for the team is 3.437. This past semester, nine players were above a 3.0 and and six above 3.5. Great work, guys!