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Cohen Has Stroke For Bucknell
May 8, 2009
From The Journal News, by Kevin Devaney (May 4, 2009). As Andrew Cohen embarked on the final nine holes of last week's Patriot League golf championship, the math clicked in his head. Normally, the Bucknell junior avoids thinking about scores. But holding the lead in the biggest tournament of his life made it too hard to ignore. "I knew where I stood individually the whole round," said Cohen, a Mamaroneck resident. "I knew that if I made one or two birdies coming in, it would be pretty much impossible for somebody to catch me." The clinching birdie came on the 15th hole when Cohen rolled in a 15-foot putt to sprint away from the 42-player field. His 1-under par 69 in the final round at West Point Golf Course on April 26 gave him a three-day total of 208 to capture the individual title by eight strokes and set a conference-tournament record. It was the second straight tournament victory for Cohen, who claimed his first career win at the Caves Valley Invitational the week before in Owings Mills, Md. Cohen's final round at the Patriot League tournament - as well as a ninth-place finish by junior Brian Bartow of Rye - powered Bucknell to the team title and a berth in next week's NCAA championships. The Bison will learn their regional tournament destination today. "It really didn't hit me at first how well I played and how well the team did," Cohen said. "We've had final exams and we've been studying all week, so we haven't had time to think about it." Cohen's certainly been reminded of his feat plenty during the past week. He's received endless phone calls and texts of congratulations. And on Thursday, he was named the national College Player of the Week by Golf World. "I'm probably getting a lot more press than I actually deserve," he said with a laugh. "But it's been great."
Cohen has earned it. In three seasons at Bucknell, he's grown from one of the conference's top golfers into a dominant one. A third-year starter, Cohen posted a team-best 73.9 scoring average this spring. Over his last 90 holes, he's 3-under par and posted 20 birdies. "Andrew has really been working really hard on his game in the spring, so this has been coming," said Bartow, a Rye Neck graduate. "It's great when you're working really hard and you have the progress in the rounds like he's had the last two weeks. Everything has just clicked." Bartow and Cohen propelled Bucknell to a comeback victory last week. Bartow was steady throughout, posting rounds of 77, 76 and 74 as the Bison rallied from three strokes back in the final round to edge Navy by five. It was the third Patriot League title in four years for Bucknell, with Cohen on two of those teams. Two years ago, Cohen tied for fourth at the conference championship, earning Patriot League co-Rookie of the Year honors. Cohen finished sixth at the tournament last spring to cap a turbulent season. Last fall, he averaged rounds of 75.3 and posted top 10 finishes in four of Bucknell's six events. He credited a putting tip from Bucknell coach Jim Cotner, as well as overall maturity, for his development. "In college golf, you really learn to grind it out and focus," Cohen said. "I think I've become a smarter golfer more than anything." Cohen and his teammates are anxious to finally find out where they'll travel to for the NCAAs. There are six potential regional locations, as close as Galloway, N.J., and as far as Daly City, Calif. "We're all hoping to go to California," said Cohen, who plans to play in several local tournaments this summer. "Either way, we know we're going to be one of the last seeds wherever we go. I think we can maybe crack the top 10 in our region. That's our goal."
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