Thomas Blankvoort’s six-under-par (66) matched the lowest round in the history of Colonial golf. He won the Rehoboth Beach Invitational in Dover, Del., Monday, the final tournament before this weekend’s conference championship.
GW finished sixth out of 14 teams with a 611, its best finish since a second-place finish at Yale April 1.
“He’s really coming on strong,” head coach Scott Allen said of Blankvoort. “He’s the best player we’ve had at GW in 40 or 50 years.”
Rutger’s Brent Pittman followed Blankvoort with a 75, and three players tied for third.
Rutgers won the tournament with a 602, one stroke ahead of second place Iona College. American and Columbia University tied for third, each with 607, and Temple finished in fifth with a 608.
Brad Friedlander was the next highest Colonial, tying for 27 with a 155 (76-79).
Blankvoort, the A-10 Performer of the Week for April 8, shares the school record with Jay Randolph, who shot his 66 in 1957 at the Southern Conference Championship at the Danville, Va., country club. Blankvoort also broke the school record he set for most strokes under par in a single round (6). He won the Rehoboth Invite by three strokes, shooting par on the 72-par course.
Blankvoort, who has nine top-20 finishes, leads the team with a scoring average of 73.2.
“It feels nice,” Blankvoort said. “It’s a combination of a lot of work. I hope I can break it this weekend.”
Winning this weekend’s Atlantic 10 Tournament is GW’s only shot at an automatic berth to the NCAA regional tournament. Blankvoort said if the team fails to finish first at the A-10s, an at-large berth is not likely because GW has not performed exceptionally well against its district teams. GW is currently ranked 15th in its region, and must be ranked in the top five for an at-large berth, Allen said.
Although GW may not have a shot at an at-large berth, Allen thinks Blankvoort has a good chance at an individual appearance, and he will find out if he qualifies in May.
GW will compete against A-10 teams Rhode Island, Xavier, Temple and Richmond at the A-10’s on the Penn National Golf Club in Mt. Alto, Pa. Blankvoort said although the competition is tough, his team feels comfortable with the course, having played there before.
“That puts you in a key frame of mind, which is most important in golf.”
Allen also feels confident with his team’s chances, referring to his team’s victory over Rhode Island and close run with Temple Monday. GW has not seen Xavier and Richmond, the two other opponents, but Allen said both teams have graduated their low-scoring threats.
–Sean Lee contributed to this report
