The College of Wooster golf team’s 2007-08 debut was a successful one, as the Fighting Scots finished third overall at the eight-team Kenyon College Invitational this weekend (Sept. 15-16), which was played at the par-72 Apple Valley Golf Course in Howard, Ohio. The Kenyon Invitational is the first of four conference events for North Coast Athletic Conference golf squads.

The Ohio Wesleyan University Battling Bishops totaled up a final score of 592 Sunday and won the Invitational. Ohio Wesleyan leaped over second-place Allegheny College, which racked up 595 strokes. Behind Allegheny, Wooster and Denison University tied for third place with identical team scores of 615. Wittenberg University placed fifth (628), Wabash College was sixth (646), Hiram was seventh (671) and host Kenyon finished eighth (679).

For the Scots, Jim Ipema led the way with a 73 and a 76, good for a tie for third-place in the individual standings (149). Ohio Wesleyan's Jeff Nieman and Allegheny's Kyle Jastromb both shot tournament-best scores of 148 in the two-day event, but it was Nieman who emerged from a playoff with medalist honors.

Five strokes back of Ipema was teammate Patrick Lynch, tying for 17th (80-74), while also scoring both days for Wooster was Erik Shoger, who shot 77-79 to tie for 19th.

Additionally, Sean Glaser came back from an 84 Saturday, and scored for Wooster with a 76 to finish in a tie for 29th, and Jason Greenwald fired a 160 (80-80) tying with Glaser.

Last fall, in reaction to the NCAA moving to the automatic qualifier system, NCAC teams revised their championship determination process. The first three events of the season span 36 holes, while the final stretches to 54 holes. The top combined finish after all events wins the NCAC title, and the conference’s automatic bid into the NCAA Div. III championships.

The second 2007 event, hosted by Allegheny, is set for Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 29-30 at the Meadville Country Club. Before that match, the Scots will take part in the Baldwin-Wallace Invitational. On Friday, they will tackle the Pine Hills Golf Club in Hinckley, Ohio before heading to Shale Creek Golf Club on Saturday in Medina, Ohio.