The golf team finished a disappointing ninth out of 14 this past Thursday at the Western New England Championships in Worcester, Mass. The five golfers averaged a score of 89.8, but only the top four were totaled, making Tufts' final score 351.
"It wasn't a good showing," coach Bob Sheldon said. "It didn't come out well."
There was some good news for the Jumbos on the day, as sophomore Dave Hendler - in his first career tournament - scored a respectable 87.
"He had a pretty decent tournament," sophomore Brad Hawes said of his classmate's performance. "If he plays well, he may be considered to play in the New England Championships."
One golfer who was not enthused with his score was junior Dan Kramer, who had an average score of 80 in his previous five rounds, but shot an 87 last Thursday.
"I personally played my worst round of the year," Kramer said. "Doing that in a tournament just doesn't fly."
Hawes, whose 79.2 average leads the team, shot an 83, while sophomore Andrew Weiss - who had shot an 81 in his only other tournament appearance - posted a 94. Senior Ben Eastwood, playing in his first tournament of the season, recorded a 98, fifth best on the team and not counted in the final tally.
Once again the golfers fell victim to a lack of familiarity with the course. "We weren't acclimated to it," Hawes said.
In consecutive tournaments in which the Jumbos have participated, the winning school was the host. Western New England won last week's meet.
Part of the reason for the team's low finish was the fact that Sheldon did not send his best five players to the WNEC's.
"We played guys that don't have tournament experience," Sheldon said. The coach used the tournament as an opportunity to season some of his inexperienced golfers, while also hoping to determine the five players to compete at next week's New England Championships.
As it stands, Hawes and Kramer are the top two golfers on the team, with the remaining three slots a little less obvious. Of players that have competed more than once, junior Arun Lamba has the third best scoring average at 83, followed closely by seniors Brian Tarmey (84.75) and Erich Muhlanger (85.4).
However, junior Arv Chary shot an 83 in his lone competition, and Eastwood played in most tournaments last year, making the competition for the final spots more competitive. Throw into the mix Hendler's 87, and the presence of seniors Jon Japha and Mike Feldman on the bench, and practices this week become extremely important.
Sheldon will base his final three selections on three criteria - past play, practice this week, and tournament performance.
Hawes didn't think that age would be a factor in the coach's decisions. "Coach just wants the best players," Hawes said.
The New England Championships, to be played next Monday and Tuesday at the Captain's Course in Brewster, MA on Cape Cod, features 46 schools from all NCAA divisions. The Captain's Course, which is actually two courses - the Port and Starboard Courses - both par 72, is off limits to the 46 schools between Oct. 15 and Oct. 22, so that no team can become familiar with course conditions.
"We have angled all year towards the New England Championship's," Sheldon said. "We're ready."
