Mixed bag for golfers in 2003

Coming into the 2003 season, the golf team did not know what to expect. The Jumbos had graduated a number of their top players from last year's successful team, and it was uncertain whether there would be players who could step up and carry the load.

However, coach Bob Sheldon was pleasantly surprised to see that a number of talented freshmen like Arjun Chawla, Matt Linde, and Justin Meier emerged as key elements of the team.

Chawla and Linde began their college careers on a strong note, posting the top two scores for the Jumbos in their very first college tournament. Chawla shot a 76-78 and Linde added an 80-77 to lead the Jumbos to a fourth place finish among ten teams at the Bowdoin Invitational.

In the next tournament, the Jumbos accomplished their goal of qualifying for the ECAC Championships in New York by finishing sixth out of eighteen New England teams.

"Qualifying for the ECAC's was certainly a highlight for this team," Sheldon said.

However, soon after the auspicious start, the Jumbos' play started to decline. Only two days after its solid finish at the ECAC qualifiers, Tufts finished a disappointing eighth out of ten teams at the NESCAC Championship.

"Our finish in the NESCAC's wasn't very good," Sheldon said. "The worst thing about it was that we never got to redeem ourselves after that first day because the second day was rained out. So that was frustrating."

After their performance at the NESCAC's, Tufts had a relatively disappointing finish to the season, placing 16th of 18 teams at the ECAC Championships and 13th out of 15 squads at the Western New England Invitational. The Jumbos wrapped up their season with a decent performance at the New England Championships, finishing 32nd out of 45 teams, despite competing against a number of teams from Division I and II schools.

Although Tufts did not achieve the high expectations it had for itself after the first couple of matches, the talent the freshmen exhibited gives Sheldon a lot of hope for the future.

"I was happy with the development of the freshmen," Sheldon said. "It was an adjustment for them to have to play so many 18-hole tournaments, because they played nine holes in all of their high school matches. But as they got going, I felt they became more comfortable."

Chawla, who also posted the top score for Tufts at the NESCAC's, felt that despite his many strong performances there was still room for improvement.

"I would've liked to play better this year," Chawla said. "I could have used a few more rounds in the 70s, and my short game was a little weak. But it was an important season because we got a solid foundation for next year."

Chawla thought the team could improve on its consistency for next year.

"Each player on the team played quite well at one time or another, but none of us managed to play real well all at the same time," he said. "That's something we'll work on for next year."

In addition, Sheldon was impressed with the leadership that senior captain Brad Hawes exhibited. Hawes usually put up strong performances in matches, and he got along well with the players.

"Brad did a great job," Sheldon said. "He was very consistent in his play, always shooting in the high 70s and low 80s. He missed placing in the top 20 in New England by just two strokes. He did a great job leading by example."

Hawes was also an excellent mentor for the freshmen. Chawla in particular felt that the captain did a nice job of making him feel welcome.

"Brad's an awesome guy," Chawla said. "I actually met up with him this summer and we practiced some together. He's just a real friendly guy with everyone and a real strong player."

Chawla also had kind words for Sheldon, who was the 2002 NESCAC coach of the year.

"I had a great time with Coach Sheldon," Chawla said. "He's able to instill a real good fighting spirit among us, but at the same time he makes it a lot of fun."

It will be tough for the Jumbos to make up for the loss of Hawes' contributions both on and off the course. But this year's freshmen will give the team a bright outlook for next season.

"With those solid young freshmen - Chawla, Linde, and Meier - [and] one or two other strong players, we could have a lot of success next year." Sheldon said.