Senior Jackson Debusschere knew the Red had its doubters heading into the Ivy League Tournament at Rolling Green Golf Club. But in his final collegiate golf tournament, Debusschere battled through two weather delays on Saturday and a cancelled third round on Sunday, leading the Red to its best Ivy finish since 2019.
“We viewed ourselves as underdogs,” Jackson Debusschere said. “[But] we had the confidence that we could go out there and show the Ivy League that we belong.”
Jackson Debusschere finished with a career-best fourth overall and a spot on the All-Championship Team, finishing at 1-under par with rounds of 69 and 70. Junior Wes Warden also found success with steady rounds of 72 and 73 and a 12th overall finish, the best of his career.
The Red finished with a total score of 582, improving by 14 strokes from the previous week’s tournament while beating Yale, Penn and Dartmouth. Sophomore Viktor Stollinger (79-73) and freshman TJ Betlow (74-78) both found a groove and tied for 23rd overall. Sophomore Tyler Debusschere rounded out the effort by finishing at 26th overall, with rounds of 73 and 81.
In other team results, Princeton swept the tournament, winning both the individual title and team title at 599 (1-under par). Columbia (576) and Harvard (581) filled the rest of the podium.
“By maintaining stability throughout the course of those two days, we put ourselves in the best spot, both individually and as a team, to perform and compete,” Jackson Debusschere said.
The inclement weather conditions also played a large role in the tournament. After a double-bogey and bogey amidst torrential downpour in the second round, Warden bounced back with a birdie on the 15th hole, followed by a nice tee shot on the 16th.
“I ended up pushing it a little bit, but that was where the pin was,” Warden said. “So it ended up going really close, and it was what we call a good miss.”
Jackson Debusschere said his best shot of the day came on the third hole of the first round. After starting the round with back-to-back bogeys, Jackson Debusschere proceeded to fire off back-to-back birdies and even added another on the seventh hole. He made a tough putt on the third hole to begin this electric run.
“To get that confidence boost, making a downhill sliding putt … gave me a little momentum going to the next hole,” Jackson Debusschere said.
The senior leader said he knew he also had to encourage his teammates to stay focused and finish strong.
“As a team, we got together constantly, boosting everyone's self-esteem,” Jackson Debusschere said. “The weather's not going to get any better, but that's okay, because we have the talent to get through it.”
Jackson Debusschere may have played his final round with the Red, but he leaves behind a roster of golfers with the talent to succeed next year.
