The Binghamton men’s golf team continued its fall season at the Howard/USF Intercollegiate tournament earlier this week, placing 10th out of the 12 teams with a final score of 884/44 over par, the competition saw strong rounds from multiple Bearcats, including a career-best performance from junior Sean Shen.

“There were really some good scores out of some of the guys, and some of them hit the ball very well,” said Binghamton head coach Bernie Herceg. “Even when they were in their swamps during the run and they weren’t playing well … they fought back very good. They maybe backed up a bad shot with a birdie on the next hole and stuff like that. So we’re getting closer to where we need to be. We just need to be a little bit more consistent, not throwing away so many shots and just kind of going day by day a little bit.”

Day one of the tournament featured two rounds, giving competitors the challenge of warming up and adjusting to the course throughout the day. Rising to the challenge and leading BU as the first day came to an end was junior Brandon Conner. Although Conner shot just 76/6 over par in the first round of the day, he rebounded in round two with a scorecard of 71/1 over par to finish the day. His second round included a strong back nine where Conner didn’t go over par on a single hole. These efforts placed Conner in a tie for 31st with a combined score of 147/7 over par, and senior Ryan Millevoi was right behind him, securing a 38th-place tie with a score of 148/8 over par.

“[Conner] found his swing a little bit better in round two, and he started to make a few more putts which helps a lot,” Herceg said. “He was fighting to swing a little bit in round one, and just wasn’t scoring like he should. And round two, he finally got some putts to drop and make a few birdies that really made a big difference.”

Notably absent from the top of the day one individual leaderboard was Shen, who found himself disqualified after his first round on Monday, as he filled out an incorrect scorecard. Despite a strong individual placement on the tournament being out of reach, Shen did not let the setback stop him from putting together one of the best rounds in Bearcat history on Tuesday. In Tuesday’s lone round, Shen completed just the seventh five-under par round in program history with a scorecard of 65.

“[Shen] felt really bad at what happened, and I know he fought hard [Tuesday] to make up for it,” Herceg said. “He did switch putters going into the third round and he really got a good feel for it, but his ball striking was a lot more solid and his irons were really on and he putted better with the new putter … Being [five under par] on that course says a lot. It was a good course for us to be tested on.”

Finishing out his tournament strong was Millevoi, who shot 74/4 over par to close the tournament and hold his position in a final tie for 37th overall with a final score of 222/12 over par. Joining him in this tie with a final tally of 222/12 over par was junior Harrison Blech, who shot 73/3 over par to jump three spots in the rankings. Meanwhile, Conner took a step back in the final rankings with a final score of 224/14 over par after shooting 77/7 over par in round three.

“[Blech and Millevoi] had solid tournaments,” Herceg said. “Once they get rid of some of the little shots here and there that they lose they’re going to be right there where we need them to be. So I’m looking forward to it.”

The Bearcats will travel back to Maryland to compete in their third tournament of the fall season, The Goat, hosted by Navy, from Saturday, Sept. 21 to Sunday, Sept. 22. Tee times are to be determined at the Naval Academy Golf Club in Annapolis, Maryland.