The Binghamton University golf team placed 11th out of 18 teams in the field and fourth out of eight teams in the Big Sky Conference this week at the America Sky Championship held at the Valley View Golf Club in Layton, Utah, on Monday and Tuesday. The scheduled 54-hole event was cut short to 36 holes after rainy weather forced a cancellation of Monday’s first round of play.

Senior captain Zach Vinal led the Bearcats by placing sixth individually after shooting 145 for the two days. Freshman Mike Surdey placed 10th with 146 and freshman Jake Katz placed 14th with 147. Sophomore Patrick Donovan tied for 30th with 154, and junior J.J. Shearer placed 36th individually with 159.

This week’s tournament in Utah was an experience the Bearcats will never forget because it was the first time in their history that they traveled to the far west to compete.

‘It was definitely a once in a lifetime experience and by far the coolest place we ever played golf,’ Vinal said. ‘It was as tough as it gets, going across the country and having to adjust to time differences, elevation changes and really bad weather.’

But for Surdey, this week’s tournament will forever be special to him. In just his second career NCAA tournament, Surdey shot 2-under-par 70 in the first round, his first career round under par.

‘I kept hitting a lot of greens and kept putting the ball pretty close to the hole to give myself makeable birdie and par putts,’ Surdey said. ‘I honestly thought it was going to take much longer to shoot my first under-par round, but this really allows me to have a lot of confidence in the way I am playing right now, and I hope this will carry over to the next tournament.’

The biggest problem for the Bearcats thus far this season has been maintaining consistency with their scores. In each tournament, only three or four golfers have played well at the same time, forcing the team to count several scores in the 80s on any given day, accounting for several disappointing overall team placements.

‘There is a phenomenal talent level on this team and the reason why we’ve been struggling is because confidence is the name of the game,’ said head coach Nick Lasky. ‘The players’ struggles are all the same, with matters of timing and confidence in their swings, and some putting issues at times plaguing their beliefs in themselves that they can succeed on any given golf course. When things get a little bad, when the sip gets a little rough, it is crucial that they have even more confidence in themselves that they can overcome their difficulties.’

After Vinal started off slowly in the first round by three-putting four times, including three putts on two par-5s, and also hitting one ball in the water, he promised himself he would shoot at least a 2-under-par 70 in the second round. He did just that, bouncing back nicely with a 2-under-par 70, including a three-under 33 on the back nine which was capped off by him sinking a tricky five-footer for birdie on the 18th hole.

Katz, perhaps the most consistent player on the team this year, continued his solid play this week. He beat the University of Hartford’s No. 1 golfer, Maki Kobayashi, heads up by one stroke in the final round to cap off another great individual performance. Katz, Vinal and Surdy are locks to start at Yale next weekend in what will perhaps be the biggest tournament of the fall for the Bearcats.