Golf finished fifth out of 16 teams at the Elon Phoenix Invitational in Burlington, North Carolina, hosted by Elon University Monday and Tuesday.
The Revolutionaries ended the two-day tournament with a combined score of 559 through 36 holes, making the impressive finish their third-best in program history. The Invitational took place at Alamance Country Club, a lengthy and complex course where no two consecutive holes have the same layout.
The Revs competed through narrow fairways and rolling greens to find themselves near the top of the leaderboard at the end of the tournament. The entire team posted competitive scores that contributed to their fifth-place standing, but fifth-year Jakub Hrinda walked off the course a standout, leading the way shooting 70 in his first round Monday morning. He finished the tournament six under, tying for 10th place overall in individual play.
Sophomore Rodrigo Barahona and graduate student Hugo Riboud both shot 68s in the first round, making Monday morning’s team score the Revs’ best of the season and fifth-best in program history.
Head Coach Chuck Scheinost said Riboud has been putting his best effort forward, attempting to close out his time at GW on a high note. Scheinost applauded Riboud’s consistency of performances in tournaments this season.
“I think he’s poised to break out one of these next few events,” Scheinost said. “He’s playing great but just kind of needs that breakout round to kind of set him off. So hopefully, we can get that out of him.”
Despite Barahona putting up a 68 in the first round, he said there were rounds he could have played smarter in.
“We’re good enough to where we can be winning more than half of the events we play,” Barahona said. “So I think we are doing okay. But our potential is way higher than where we are at.”
Although the team couldn’t match their record round of the morning, they ended their first day of play one under 276. Hrinda scratched a 69 on his scorecard after the second match, once again piloting the team at the conclusion of Monday afternoon’s play.
On Tuesday, Hrinda continued to lead the Revs in the final round as he shot 68 to tie for 10th with a 6-under 207 to end the tournament. Sophomore Jed Dy put up a 68 in his final round as well, solidifying his spot in 28th place overall, 1-under 212.
Scheinost also commended Dy’s breakout performances this season. He played strongly in September at the Virtues Invitational hosted by Miami University. Dy tied for ninth in a field of 88 opponents, finishing 6-under 210, a result that earned him the title of A10 Golfer of the Week.
“Jed finally broke through his kind of floor,” Schenost said. “And just kind of broke through some individual barriers for him and he’s getting a lot more comfortable being part of the lineup and being comfortable with shooting some lower scores.”
Dy’s play helped lead the team to a second-place finish at the Virtues Invitational, five shots better than their previous score at the Virginia Commonwealth Shootout. The Rev’s VCU Shootout score (6-under 858) was the team’s best group finish before this week’s tournament.
The Revs seem to be on a run with the season coming to a close. Their last three tournament scores have set record after record for the program, with a handful of players contributing to their decisive victories.
Two younger teammates pulled ahead on Tuesday afternoon, guiding GW to their top-five placement. Hot off the tee, sophomore Leo Xu carded nine birdies in the tournament’s final round. Xu was smooth and consistent on the course, even going on a six-birdie streak at one point. Xu finished 64th, 8-under 221. He tied alongside the Revs’ freshman Aksel Moe, shooting 69 in the last round with 8-under 221.
Moe is the only freshman and newcomer to join this year’s squad. Scheinost said Moe has great potential to grow more confident in himself during his time on the team.
“He is a really good kid and I think will be a really good player for us over the coming years,” Scheinost said. “He’s just got to get a little confidence back and I think he’ll hopefully be pushing for a spot in the lineup along with other guys that we have.”
Stakes are high for the Revs as they host their final event of the season in Barahona’s hometown.
The Revolutionaries look to continue their exceptional play south of the border next weekend at the Monterrey International Invitational in Monterrey, Mexico.
