Hershey, Pa. (Apr. 24, 2016) - Senior
Brett Fernandes shot 79 Sunday and finished runner-up in a 4-man playoff at the MAC Commonwealth Men's Golf Championships hosted by Hershey Country Club's East Course.
Fernandes qualified for a 5-man playoff and lasted three holes with eventual champion Jordan Kirsch from Messiah College.
Alvernia posted 335 on day two and finished the team event in fourth place out of nine teams. Stevenson University hung on to its big day one lead shooting 322 on day two to finish at 634 and claim the team title.
Alvernia sophomore
Keith Noonan was one of just 13 players to break 80 on Sunday shooting 78 to finish in a tie for eight place at 160. Fernandes, Kirsch, and Stevenon's Zach Potten--who also qualified for the playoff--were the only three players in the field to break 80 both days.
Fernandes was one of five players to earn First Team All-Conference honors and Noonan one of six to be named to the Second Team. Potten and teammate Luke McKeogh were both named Co-Rookies of the Year and Stevenson head coach Chris Ramer was named Coach of the Year.
Five players qualified for the playoff for the individual title at 157, but Albright's Sam Ignatuk left the course after his round and wasn't available for the playoff.
The other four players--Fernandes, Kirsch, McKeogh, and Potten--returned to the 18th hole to decide Player of the Year honors. Potten and Kirsch both found the fairway off the tee while McKeogh settled in the left rough and Fernandes pulled a 5-wood 40 yards left of the fairway forcing him to punch back into play.
McKeogh was the first to play his approach which bounded 15 yards over the back of the green. Potten found the green on the left side and had 40 feet for birdie while Kirsch stuck his approach 20 feet from the pin. Fernandes--needing an up and down from 100 yards for any chance--hit a wedge to 35 feet right of the pin just in the fringe. After McKeogh chipped on and Potten rolled his birdie putt six feet past, Fernandes calmly rolled in the downhill right-to-left breaker for par.
Kirsch then had his first putt to win outright, but left if a bit short and to the right. He cleaned up his par putt and both McKeogh and Potten missed their par putts leaving the playoff to just Fernandes and Kirsch.
This time both players found the fairway off the tee. Fernandes hit his approach just barely on the front of the green leaving about 60 feet to the back pin while Kirsch left himself about another 20 feet for birdie this time from the opposite side of the hole. Fernandes charged his birdie effort eight feet past the hole and Kirsch ran his past by about four. Fernandes had the par putt in the jar, but came up about a half a foot short and tapped in for bogey. Kirsch--with another chance to win outright--ran his par putt over the lip on the top side and the two players headed to the par 4 17th to continue the playoff.
Kirsch once again found the fairway about 115 yards from the hole and Ferandes settled in the left rough. His approach squirted out right and landed in the greenside bunker while Kirsch put himself in familiar territory with a birdie putt inside 20 feet. Fernandes blasted out to about 25 feet rolled the par putt about four feet past the hole. Kirsch nestled his birdie putt down to about a foot and marked for Fernandes to finish. He ran in the bogey putt, and Kirsch needed just to sweep in the short par putt--which he did--to claim his first Player of the Year title.
Stevenson will represent the MAC Commonwealth in the NCAA Championships in Rochester and Manhattanville College--which overcame a 13 stroke deficit on Sunday--will reprsent the MAC Freedom.
Â
