The golf team stumbled in its final event of the season, placing 35th among the 46 schools participating in the New England Intercollegiate Golf Association Championships, held on Monday and Tuesday at the Captain's Course in Cape Cod.
The young Jumbos' squad struggled with cold weather and very good competition, consisting of some of the finest programs in the region, including a number of Div. I squads. Tufts shot a 683, which placed it 96 strokes back of the tournament winner, the University of Rhode Island. That margin is a bit deceiving, though, as URI simply dominated the event, and the Jumbos were not quite that far behind the rest of the pack. The Div. I Rams were so overwhelming in winning their fourth straight New England title that the second-place finisher, Central Connecticut, with a score of 615, was closer to 12th place than the top spot.
The presence of a Div. I powerhouse left Tufts' place among NESCAC opponents as a better barometer. In that sense, the tournament was slightly more successful, as the Jumbos placed fifth out of the seven division opponents that were involved in the event. Williams led NESCAC participants with a score of 647, placing it 13th overall. Trinity, Middlebury, and Amherst were also ahead of Tufts, but Wesleyan and Bates both shot higher scores than the Jumbos did.
"The tournament was more or less a disappointment for us," sophomore Elliot Barr said.
Things started off poorly for the team, as the number one and two golfers, Barr and sophomore Arun Lamba, struggled on Day One after teeing off an hour late due to frost on the course, obviously not ideal for golf. That may have played a role in the terrible start that Barr suffered through, shooting a triple bogey on the first hole. He finished with an 89 on the day and was clearly disappointed with the result.
"I tried to recover from the first hole, but my driver was not cooperating," he said. "I had trouble adjusting myself to the greens as well, so I had no chance to stop the bleeding."
Adding to the tough first day were the struggles of Lamba, who had been coming on strong as the season progressed. He shot a season-high 102 on the first day, struggling to keep the ball in play at times. Lamba showed that he is a better player than that, recovering to shoot a more respectable 88 on the second day, but that still was above what he is used to. Barr also experienced a mild recovery on Day Two, scoring an 86.
The rest of the golfers carried the team on the first day, with sophomore Dan Kramer shooting an 82, junior Erich Muhlanger putting together an 86, and freshman Brad Hawes shooting an 87 on the day. On the second day, the three remained steady, allowing the team's overall score to improve, continuing a trend that began in the first tournament of the season. Hawes shot the lowest score of the tournament for Tufts, an 81, Kramer shot an 84, and Muhlanger shot an 88.
"There was a bit of pressure in the tournament," Hawes said. "But we relied on mental toughness to hang in there."
The tournament capped off an up-and-down season, which was to be expected given the team's youth. Among the golfers that the Jumbos sent to the New England's, there was one junior, three sophomores, and a freshman. With Kramer and Hawes carrying the team this weekend, the Jumbos now have four solid young golfers going into 2001, as Barr and Lamba carried the team for most of the year.
"It was a building season," Hawes said. "We usually played well during practices; we just need to compete well in tournaments next year."
Adding experience to the mental toughness that the team showed throughout the year makes for a very promising mix next year. Despite the team's inconsistency at times, it never got down on itself, which is rare for such a young squad.
"Our scores always improved on the second day of two-day events, and that is something to take pride in," Barr said. "Not many teams can go out there, struggle, and fight back like us."
With the pieces in place, don't be surprised if the next time the Jumbos show us how capable they are of getting up off the proverbial mat, it's in bouncing back from a disappointing final weekend this year and becoming a force next fall.
