Yale Athletics

The Yale men’s golf team placed 12th in their second tournament of the season at the Highlands Invitational in Westchester, Ill. 

The par-72, 13-team event featured 36 continuous holes on Monday and 18 final holes on Tuesday. The tournament field was stacked with programs outside the Ivy League, giving the Bulldogs an early-season test against strong non-conference competition. 

“Our biggest highlight as a team was that we came out of the gates firing in Round 1,” senior Sam Davis ’26 said. “For most of the first round, we were in the top 5 of a very strong field. One of the things we struggled with at Metropolis was getting off to a slow start, so I’m happy to see us learn from that and have some urgency right from the get-go in our second tournament of the year.”

The Bulldogs’ lineup was Will Lodge ’26, Sam Davis ’26, Andrew Stickel ’27, Colin Li ’28 and Matt Lin ’28. Davis himself opened with a strong 74 (+2) and described the team’s early momentum as a bright spot. 

While consistency proved a challenge across the lineup, the Bulldogs were lifted by a standout final round from captain Lodge, who delivered one of the tournament’s best scores with a 67 (-5). 

Lodge opened with rounds of 74 (+2) and 76 (+4) before catching fire on the final day, when his closing 67, highlighted by seven birdies, marked a dramatic turnaround and embodied his resilience. 

“The final round was definitely a lot of fun,” Lodge said. “The putter was definitely the second key to the round. I was rolling it well and got on a good streak for a while during the round.”

Lodge’s total of 217 (+1) was the top Yale finish and a highlight for the Bulldogs. He finished in 16th place overall.

For his teammates, Lodge’s impressive play helped give them a mental boost at the end of a competitive tournament.  

“I think Will injected us with a little bit of swagger with his final round,” Davis said. “Our team has conversed many times about who is going to step up and be the standard any given week, and this week it was absolutely Will. I’m proud of him rallying and bouncing back for us after a tough second round.”

While the Bulldogs were unable to make a late charge up the leaderboard, Davis emphasized the perseverance the group showed. That mindset, he said, will be especially important as Yale turns its attention to its next challenge — the Bryan Brothers Collegiate in South Carolina, which will feature top-30 programs such as LSU, which was ranked No. 8 this past spring. 

“One lesson I learned this past week was that we as a team have a lot of fight in us,” Davis said. “Even though we didn’t charge up the leaderboard those last 18 holes like we wanted to, we persevered through a challenging course setup to post a score. I know this team has a lot of grit and tenacity, and I’m excited for all of us to take this mentality going into South Carolina.”

Stickel, who also opened with a 74 (+2), echoed that sense of determination. He noted that the team must rise to the challenge when facing the tough competition outside of the Ivy League this fall. 

“I think we have something to prove in that we can compete with any program,” he said. “It is stiff competition, but we are certainly not out of contention, far from it. We are all motivated to perform and play our best to make a statement.”

The men’s golf team will compete next from Sept. 29 to 30 at the Bryan Brothers Collegiate at the Solina Golf Club in West Columbia, S.C.