Shuman Finishes Second, Helping Men's Golf Clinch Third

In its last event of the season, the Harvard men’s golf team finished third overall at the Northeast Invitational in Portsmouth, R.I., this weekend as freshman Greg Shuman and sophomore Mike Shore tied for second place in the individual competition.

The Crimson shot 299 on Saturday, adding to a 153 on Friday for a total score of 452.

Eventual champion Rhode Island won the tournament with a 446, a mere six shots ahead of Harvard, and Sacred Heart took second with a 449.

In addition to its regular five-player squad, the Crimson sent two golfers—Shore and senior captain Tom Hegge—to Portsmouth to compete as individuals. The pair led a contingent of four freshmen and one sophomore who contributed to Harvard’s team score.

“We got a lot more guys in this tournament,” Shore said. “We wanted to get more people to play and leave on a good note. We had been underperforming all year, but this was a good course for us and not that hard.”

Thunder and lightning storms limited play to nine holes on Friday and continued to affect course conditions throughout the weekend.

“There was a lot of standing water on the course, which made play difficult” freshman Peter Singh said. “There were tough conditions, and we could have been a bit better. A lot of us struggled on the green.”

Despite the inclement weather, the Crimson boasted impressive individual performances, as both Shuman and Shore carded 108 in 27 holes of play.

At the end of round one, Shore’s even-par 35 placed him in a four-way tie for first.

He followed that up with a one-under-par 70 on Saturday and sank a tournament-high six birdies in his 27 holes of play.

The performance marks the culmination of an impressive rookie season that included the All-Ivy first team honors that the freshman earned at the Ivy League Championships the weekend before.

The real competition this weekend was among Harvard’s players, as the individual results were at stake even on the 18th green.

“I had a possible birdie on the 18th hole that would have given me a chance of winning [the medal],” said Shore, who wound up one shot behind individual winner Steve Velardi of Quinnipiac.

“It was pretty exciting,” Singh added. “Greg made a 20-foot putt on the last hole to make a birdie and tie with Mike.”

In addition to the excitement surrounding the final hole, freshman Danny Mayer took 13th in individual competition with a 113 (36-77), and fellow freshman Nicholas Moseley placed 18th with a 114 (38-76).

Singh scored a 117 (41-76) to finish in the 25th spot, while sophomore John Christensen placed 47th by shooting 122 (41-81).

Hegge competed in his last tournament, tying Mayer for 13th with a score of 113 (38-75)

Although Harvard will miss Hegge’s leadership on the links, the Crimson is enthusiastic about its potential for growth in upcoming seasons.

“We’ll have a really strong team next year,” Shore said. “We’ll have to work over the summer and be ready to come out and play, but we have a lot to look forward to.”