The Washington and Lee Men’s Golf Team competed in the Jekyll Island Invitational and placed seventh out of 29 teams.
The team was proud of the finish, but they believe they could do even better and have high expectations for the rest of the season. Ranked No. 2 in the country, the Generals have confidence in their ability to succeed. Robert Quinilty, ‘20 was named ODAC player of the week for the week ending March 19 for his fifth place finish out of 150 other players and managed to beat over 25 of the top players in the nation. He shot a score 72 the first day, 73 the second day and 70 on the final day with an overall score of -1. Brian Peccie, ‘20, also played well tying for 21st with scores of 70, 76 and 76 over the weekend with an overall score of +6.
Head Coach Peter Gyscek hopes that his team can build on the tournament by keeping the same mindset, as he wants to alleviate pressure when it comes to crunch time.
“We treat every event like a championship,” Gyscek said. “Our goal was to play our best golf and compete at the highest level.”
Gyscek also credited his team’s work effort both on the course and off. He is extremely proud of his team’s academic performance over the last three years.
“The men’s golf team has had the highest team GPA in the school for the past three years,” Gyscek said. “Last year, they had a combined 3.61 that was second in the nation, and our goal is to be number one. With a team GPA in the fall of 3.75, this team is well on their way to accomplishing their goal.”
Quinilty partially credits the advice of team captain Todd Alan McDonald, ‘17, for helping him to succeed in the tournament.
“I knew I was playing well heading into the week,” Quinilty said. “But Todd Alan McDonald’s advice in our team meeting prior to the first round really resonated with me. McDonald told the team that the golf course’s only defense is yourself. It’s made to make you frustrated, so if you stay patient and don’t press to make birdies, you will shoot a good score.’”
Despite his individual success in the invitational, Quinilty’s goals remain focused on improving the team.
“My personal goals are to work hard and have my game in the best possible place for the ODAC Conference Championship,” Qunilty said, “so I can contribute to the team winning conference and ultimately competing in the National Championship.”
Peccie has also experienced a great deal of individual success this season, as he was named ODAC Golfer of the Week for the week ending March 12. Peccie earned this honor by finishing tied for individual medalist honors at the Callaway Gardens Intercollegiate. Peccie’s performance was the first time that a W&L golfer had medaled individually since the 2012-2013 season.
“Coming off of a win the week before I had a lot of confidence. I don’t really get too caught up in expectations,” Peccie said. “If you do, it can really affect your golf game. So I just try to go out there and play my game.”
Peccie thinks that the fall season was a turning point for the team.
“We didn’t have a very good fall in terms of our expectations,” Peccie said. “It allowed us to become more motivated it get a bid to the NCAA tournament.”
Peccie is much happier with where the team is at now as opposed to how they were playing in the fall.
“As a team, we’re playing really well right now,” Peccie said. “and we expect to go pretty far in the match week play in our last weekend of the regular season.”