Rutgers
Hamptons Intercollegiate
Men's Golf Completes Stellar 2nd-Place Finish at Hamptons Intercollegiate
Oct 06 | Men's Golf
Espenshade Finishes T-4th, Downes T-9th Overall
EAST HAMPTON, N.Y. ā The Rutgers men's golf team posted the low team round of the final day and climbed two spots to finish second at the Hamptons Intercollegiate on Tuesday at the historic Maidstone Club.
The Scarlet Knights shot rounds of 288-294-291 for a 54-hole total of 873 (+9), four strokes clear of third-place Wake Forest (877). They finished ahead of Florida State, Utah and Ole Miss in the 12-team field. Florida won the team title at 858 (-6), and Utah's Gabriel Palacios took medalist honors at 12-under 204.
"We've got good players, and good players produce good results," head coach Rob Shutte said. "They're tough guys, and they compete hard."
Rutgers opened Monday with an even-par 288, tied with Florida State for third. After a 294 in the second round, which darkness suspended Monday and finished Tuesday morning, the Scarlet Knights sat fourth. They were six strokes behind Ole Miss for second and two behind Wake Forest.
The final round was the toughest of the week. The field scoring average climbed to 76.55, up from 73.70 in the opening round. Rutgers carded a 3-over 291, the best team score of the day by three strokes, to pass both Wake Forest and Ole Miss.
"It was all about staying patient," Bennett Espenshade said. "When we teed off this morning, it was super cold and super windy. We all knew the wind was going to die down as the day went on, so we had to survive the first couple of holes and take advantage once we could. The golf course was playing borderline impossible when we went off, but as the day went on, some opportunities popped up, and it looked like everyone really took advantage of them."
Espenshade led the way, tying for fourth at 3-under 213 (70-71-72). He was the only Scarlet Knight under par for the tournament. He tied for eighth in the field with 12 birdies, added an eagle, and played the par 5s in 5-under.
"I feel like I've been doing the same things over and over pretty well and keeping golf really simple," Espenshade said. "It's so easy to play good golf when the team is playing well. It really frees you up knowing every guy can go out there and post a really good number. To see us beat some really, really good teams was pretty special this week."
Argyle Downes had the round of the day for Rutgers. He fired a 2-under 70 on Tuesday, the second-best round in the field in the final round behind only Palacios' 69. Downes jumped 23 spots into a tie for ninth at 2-over 218 (73-75-70), giving Rutgers two top-10 finishers. He finished with 11 birdies and an eagle.
"I knew I could really get after the back nine, especially the stretch from 13 to 17, so I was trying to make as many birdies as I could there and then hang on the rest of the way," Downes said. "It doesn't sound like a great game plan, but it kind of worked out."
Lucas Politano bounced back from an opening 77 with rounds of 73 and 72 to tie for 22nd at 222. His week included an eagle. Daniel Martinez Regal opened with a 1-under 71 and finished tied for 31st at 223 (71-75-77). Carlo Melgrati tied for 58th at 237 (74-80-83).
As a team, Rutgers made the fewest double bogeys or worse in the field (seven). The Scarlet Knights ranked third in par-4 scoring and tied for fourth with three eagles.
Hosted by Loyola Maryland, the Hamptons Intercollegiate is played at Maidstone, one of the most celebrated courses on the East Coast. Past champions include Ole Miss (2024), Alabama (2023) and Georgia (2025). Shutte said the links-style layout presented a challenge that can't be replicated at home.
"You can't simulate the wind we had out there this week in practice," Shutte said. "When you're hitting into 30-mile-an-hour winds, it's a three-club wind, and then all of a sudden you're hitting downwind and your wedges are releasing 40 feet on the green. This week, you had to get the ball on the ground as fast as possible, because the more it was in the air, the less control you had."
He credited the team's culture for its fall success.
"They don't give up, and they root hard for each other," Shutte said. "That goes for the guys in the van and the guys who didn't travel this week. We have a lot of guys who understand our culture is tough, gritty and bringing the juice. A big part of our success is guys who want to compete hard for each other."
Espenshade believes the Scarlet Knights have yet to play their best.
"I'm super stoked to see where we are as a team," he said. "With how we're finishing, it feels like we're doing it without our best stuff. Once all five guys start clicking, we're going to be able to run away and win some tournaments."
Rutgers Results
T4. Bennett Espenshade ā 70-71-72 ā 213 (-3)
T9. Argyle Downes ā 73-75-70 ā 218 (+2)
T22. Lucas Politano ā 77-73-72 ā 222 (+6)
T31. Daniel Martinez Regal ā 71-75-77 ā 223 (+7)
T58. Carlo Melgrati ā 74-80-83 ā 237 (+21)
Team Standings
- Florida ā 858 (-6)
- Rutgers ā 873 (+9)
- Wake Forest ā 877 (+13)
- Florida State ā 880 (+16)
- Utah ā 884 (+20)
- Ole Miss ā 885 (+21)
- Princeton ā 887 (+23)
T8. Duke ā 894 (+30)
T8. Loyola Maryland ā 894 (+30) - Harvard ā 902 (+38)
- Georgetown ā 906 (+42)
- Yale ā 933 (+69)
Up Next
Rutgers returns to action Sunday, Oct. 18 at the Quail Valley Collegiate Invitational in Vero Beach, Fla., hosted by Michigan State.
"It's going to be a completely different animal," Espenshade said. "That place is a birdie fest. It's about shifting your mindset from grinding it out this week to getting in attack mode and posting some low numbers."
ARGYLE DOWNES
On the rest of his final round
"I happened to make a couple putts at the right time on the front nine to keep the round going."
On the final day
"I knew we were in a good spot as a team, so we were all just trying to throw out a good round today and see what would happen. Yesterday was a long day, so I was hoping to get off to a good start and ride the momentum from there. I didn't exactly do that, but it was fun getting to fight back and see what I could do."
On playing alongside Bennett
"I think we were feeding off each other a little more yesterday than today, but it was a lot of fun out there."
On Maidstone
"It was a lot of fun. The course is pretty challenging when there's wind, and it's hard to get balls to stop on the greens in certain spots. You just had to plot your way around and see what you could do from there."
On the fall season
"Our team is really solid this year. Like I said, we can really upset some people and shock the golf world, you could say. We should have two more strong results, maybe get a win, and finish the fall on a high note."
On his favorite shot
"Probably my approach on 16. I hit a solid tee shot and had right around 100 yards. I hit a flighted pitching wedge that landed about 10 feet behind the hole and spun back to about eight feet, and I made the putt for birdie. That was pretty nice."
On the week, from the beach video
"We came in with a decent understanding of the golf course, and I just really wanted to stay gritty and stay tough all week. I wanted to see if I could give myself a couple good spots and make some good numbers, and luckily enough I did."
BENNETT ESPENSHADE
On keeping it simple
"Not trying to do too much is the key to success for me."
On his favorite shot
"My final tee shot on 9. It's a tough hole. There's trouble left, trouble right and a good bit of wind. To step up with one of my last swings of the tournament and hit a good one down the fairway was a really good moment for me."
On Quail Valley
"It's wide open, and there's not too much trouble."
On his game, from the beach video
"My driving's been great. That's a part of my game that I can really lean on right now. The ball striking was really where I wanted it to be this week. I think the biggest key this week was just keeping my head on and not getting too high or too low."
HEAD COACH ROB SHUTTE
On what made Maidstone unique
"It's hard to simulate this kind of golf. It's a world-class design with big green contours, but the biggest thing is the wind. Unless you're from an area where you've played a lot of links-style golf, it's hard to manage what your golf ball is going to do. That's what made it unique."
On the team's culture
"You've got to be excited to be out in those conditions. When guys want to be a part of each other's days and the culture is high, it makes it fun going to practice and fun competing for each other."
On the big picture
"We always take the big-picture approach, which is helping guys get better at golf. We're trying to develop them to be better in college and better after college. The expectation is to keep coming to practice, have really good practices, have coachable guys and coach them hard, and hopefully the results will follow. It's kind of like an arms race with all the other teams in the country. Are they going to get better during the year, or are we? So it's about finding shots and ways for guys to get better. It's a process approach of showing up every day with the lunch pail and being excited to get better."
On the Quail Valley Collegiate Invitational
"It's such a different style of golf. When we get down there, we'll figure out who can hit the knockdown wedge shots out of the thick, grainy Bermuda and who can read the grain. Quail Valley's hospitality is high, and the membership seems to like our guys because our guys know how to talk. It's always fun to reconnect with a lot of familiar faces down there and keep up much of the same."
On the week at Maidstone
"This is a real purist experience. Loyola was a great host, and you're talking about a world-class, famous golf course. I'm always proud to take the guys on the road."
