Bolstered by the tremendous play of senior co-captain Tim Pemberton, the Tribe men’s golf team won the William and Mary Invitational in dramatic style, defeating the University of Richmond on the first playoff hole after making up a two-stroke deficit on them in the final round. The victory is the team’s first since 2002, and represents an especially remarkable achievement for a team that had struggled all spring to find its form.
Perhaps encouraged by the familiar surroundings of the Green Course at the Golden Horseshoe Golf Club, the Tribe played to its full potential over the two-day event featuring eighteen schools. Pemberton, a two-time qualifier for the U.S. Amateur tournament, carded a 70 on his final round to earn individual runner-up honors at 3 over par. He birdied holes 16 and 18 on his final round to move the Tribe into a tie with Richmond at the end of regulation play.
The two teams met at the first hole, where the lowest four scores from each school’s five golfers would determine the outright winner. The Tribe fell behind early when Pemberton scored a surprising bogey, but demonstrated resilience and depth in forging another rally. Sophomore Ryan Price, who had putted poorly all day, drained a fifteen-foot birdie putt to tie the score. After pars from Gary Barton and Hunter Watts and a Richmond bogey, sophomore Matt Brantingham needed to convert a tough sand save for the win. He splashed his shot within two feet of the cup for a tap-in par, cementing the improbable victory.
The Tribe will next tee it up at the Princeton Invitational, on 8-9 April.