New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Carpenter leads Ivy champ Yale into NCAA Regional
Darien’s Ben Carpenter and his Yale golf teammates came to an agreement the night before the final round of this year’s Ivy League championships.
There was to be no looking at the leaderboard during the final stretch.
So although Carpenter overheard a spectator talking about the team score at the 17th tee, he didn’t have confirmation until a few moments later.
“On the 18th tee box, I looked at the leaderboard and I saw
Yale had a four-shot lead, so we were fine in that aspect unless I really blew up,” he said.
There was one other thing. “I had a one shot lead.”
Four strokes and a par later, Carpenter was the Ivy League medalist.
A Yale freshman, Carpenter finished the three-day tournament with a 5-over par 218, two strokes ahead of DJ Francey, a Columbia sophomore, and Mark Haghani, a Penn senior.
Carpenter was one of three Yale players in the top eight — Gabriel Ruiz and Brake Brantley tied for sixth at 222 — and helped the Bulldogs claim their 21st Ivy League title. Yale shot a team score of 887, five ahead of Columbia’s 892 at the Century Country Club in Purchase, NY.
Carpenter, a graduate of the Brunswick in Greenwich, said the moment was one he had dreamed about.
“It’s pretty surreal,” Carpenter said. “My goal was to play in the Ivy League and play at Yale, and on the putting green practicing on the court, I was envisioning
this (putt) was to win the Ivy League championship for me and the team.
“It ended up being that way, essentially on the last hole, and I still really can’t believe it. It’s crazy.”
Carpenter’s three rounds included a 1-over 72, an even-par 71, and a 4-over 75 during a windy third day. He had 11 birdies and 34 pars while playing out of the Bulldogs’ fifth spot.
He played alongside Francey in the final round, and on the final shot, he had two putts from two feet to win it.
Carpenter sank it on the first putt, but admitted it was a nervous moment.
“I was shaking,” Carpenter said. “I couldn’t believe it.”
According to Carpenter, the Bulldogs met with coach Colin Sheehan in the hotel lobby each night and discussed the course, possible conditions, pin locations, and how to attack each hole
“I think that really helped,” Carpenter said. “As a team, we just managed the course better than everyone and that’s why we ended up winning. It was a team effort for sure. We all played solid, I just happened to play the best.”
The Yale Golf Course is hosting the NCAA Division I East Regional Monday through Wednesday, with 14 teams in competition.
“Any Ivy League team in regionals, usually it’s a long, long shot to make it to the National championship, but I think we have a legitimate chance this year because of the home course advantage,” Carpenter said. “Yale’s got a ton of blind shots, the greens are really tricky, and I’m curious to see how these other teams approach it.
“Our team chemistry is really strong and that helps us a lot. We all love each other. All great golfers, and all great guys.”