Baldwinsville, N.Y. – The Le Moyne College men's golf team made up a four-shot deficit on Monday to win the Mike Bello Invitational by three strokes at the par-72, 6780-yard Timber Banks Golf Course.
After recording a 305 in the first round on Sunday to land in second place, the Dolphins fired a 299 on Monday to capture their third team championship of the year. The Dolphins won the Bello Invitational for the first time since winning at the Links at Sunset Ridge in September 2007. Roberts Wesleyan, which had the lead after the first round with a 301, finished in second place with a 607 after recording a 306 on Monday. Daemen College placed third with a 621 off rounds of 313 and 308, while Bentley University finished fourth with a 625 after rounds of 315 and 310. Dowling College recorded rounds of 315 and 313 to place fifth with a 628. After landing in a three-way tie for first place on Sunday with a 72, Roberts Wesleyan's Shane Dobesh carded a 71 on Monday to earn medalist honors with a one-under par 143.
Freshman John Clare (Camillus, N.Y./West Genesee) recorded his third top-two finish of the year by placing second with a two-over par 146. He was a part of the three-way tie for first after the opening round and then fired a 74, the second-best score of the day, on Monday. Junior Sam Eno (Dennis, Mass./Dennis-Yarmouth) tallied his third top-five placement of the year by recording a 150 to place fifth. After recording a 75 on Sunday, he duplicated the feat on Monday to climb two spots in the standings. Sophomore Aidan Fuller (Syracuse, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy) and junior Dan Molter (Port Crane, N.Y./Chenango Forks) were a part of a three-way tie for 10th place with a two-day score of 154. Fuller, who placed in the top-10 for the fourth time this year, recorded rounds of 80 and 74, while Molter carded a 78 on Sunday and a 76 on Monday to earn his fifth top-10 finish of the year. Junior Mitch Hillegas (Binghamton, N.Y./Chenango Valley) rounded out Le Moyne's five-member team with a 162 on rounds of 80 and 82 to tie for 32nd place.
The Dolphins now await word on a bid to the NCAA Championships. In the first regional rankings of the season released last week, the Dolphins were fourth among the 10 teams.
