BRISTOL, R.I. – The Roger Williams University Men's Golf team delivered a strong two-day performance to secure a second-place finish at the RWU Hawks Invitational, posting a team score of 616 (302-314), just five strokes behind tournament champion Palm Beach State.
Palm Beach State finished with a team score of 611 (313-298) over the two-day Invitational, while the Hawks led coming into the second day, but were unable to hold off the Panthers. Endicott placed third with a 634 (318-316), while Springfield and Suffolk rounded out the top five with a tie at 642.
Leading the way for the Hawks was Will Lafrance (Westport, Mass.), who finished second overall with a two-day total of 150 (+8). Lafrance opened with a 73 (+2) in the first round before carding a 77 (+6) in the second round to earn individual runner-up honors.
Roger Williams placed three additional golfers inside the top 10. Gianni Fontenault (Warwick, R.I.) and Ryan Dacey (East Greenwich, R.I.) each recorded identical scores of 155 (+13) to tie for ninth place. Fontenault shot rounds of 78 and 77, while Dacey posted a 76 in round one, followed by a 79 in round two.
PJ Forbes (Westport, Mass.) added a tie for 13th-place finish with a total of 156 (+14), with an opening round 75 (+4). Dante Hardt (Orange, Conn.) rounded out the scoring five for the Hawks, finishing tied for 17th with a 160 (+18), recording rounds of 79 and 81.
As a team, Roger Williams held the lead after the first round with a 302 but slipped to second following a 314 in round two as Palm Beach State surged with a tournament-best 298 in the final round.
Gordon's Ben Hoffmann finished as the individual champion, carding rounds of 70 (-1) and 76 (+5). Lafrance finished four strokes back.
Roger Williams also saw contributions from its individual competitors. Joel Collins (Manchester, N.H.) finished 22nd with a 162 (+20), while Will Reece (Charlton, Mass.) placed 40th at 169 (+27).
Roger Williams will return to action on Friday, Apr. 17 and Saturday, Apr. 18, when they take part in the Rhode Island College Spring Invitational.
