2009 Spring Outlook
Mar 03 | Men's Golf
The Rutgers men’s golf team enters the spring season having closed out the fall playing their best golf. The Scarlet Knights placed third in the Knights Golf Invitational, their best team effort of the season. The third-place finish eclipsed the previous best mark of fifth-place at the White Clay Creek Scotty Duncan two weeks earlier.
"We have quite a competitive schedule planned for the spring including three top events in our Mid-Atlantic Region, the Big East Championship which is always intense, and the Virginia Cavalier Classic which will feature many competitive teams around the country,” said head coach Maura Ballard.
“I know it will be challenging and these men are working hard and will be prepared."
Rutgers, which features an experienced roster that includes five juniors and one senior, will be led into tournament play by an experienced tandem comprised of two New Jersey natives: junior James Arbes (Westfield, N.J.) and senior Isaac Lim (Piscataway, N.J.). Arbes posted the best stroke-average on the squad in the fall, playing at a 74.50 clip. He also converted a team-high 21 birdies and two eagles on the year. Lim, meanwhile, finished right behind Arbes with a second-best 74.63 stroke average and recorded the Knights’ top-two individual performances: second-place in the region at the NSU Shark Invitational and sixth place overall at the Knights Golf Invitational.
"Jimmy (Arbes) is a very talented golfer and has proven he has the skills to compete with the best players in our conference,” saidBallard. “I am excited to see him continue on this path of success this spring."
"Isaac (Lim) is our only senior and has done a great job for us on the road. I know he has been working hard this winter and should be ready to finish up his career on a high note."
The Scarlet Knights will also rely on juniors Jordan Gibbs (Princeton, N.J.) and James Hilaire (Fishkill, N.Y.). Gibbs was one of only three Scarlet Knights to record an eagle in the fall, while Hilaire played consistent golf throughout the season, finishing third on the squad with a 76.00 stroke average.
Two other juniors, Benjamin Bershad (Titusville, N.J.) and J.F. Sorbella (Port Chester, N.Y.), will provide valuable experience. Bershad shot a 71 in the opening round of the Rutgers Men’s Golf Invitational and Sorbella finished the fall playing at a high level, recording a personal season-best 16th at the Knights Golf Invitational.
Freshman Andrew Tursky (Hillsborough, N.Y.) and sophomore Chris Frame (Woodstock, Ill.), the two youngest members of the team, showed flashes of great promise in the fall and will look to have a big impact this spring.
The Scarlet Knights will open spring play with a dual-match against Florida Atlantic University on March 16 in Boca Raton, Fla. They will travel up the coast to play in the First Market Bank Intercollegiate Invitational (March 23-24), hosted by William and Mary University and played at Kingsmill Country Club in Williamsburg, Va., home of the PGA-tour event the Michelob Championship at Kingsmill.
From there they will move on to the Towson Lacrosse Homes Invitational in Towson, Md. (March 28-29) before returning to the Garden State for the Princeton Invitational on April 11-12.
The season will come full circle when the Scarlet Knights return to Florida for the BIG EAST Championships in Tampa from April 19-21. The slate concludes back in Virginia for the Virginia Cavalier Classic in Charlottesville (April 25-26).
