While its athletic colleagues enjoyed the homestand of all homestands this weekend, the golf team made the most of being absent from Medford on Homecoming, capturing its first title of the season at the Husson Invitational in Orono, Maine.
The event, featuring 12 other teams from Maine and Massachusetts, was held at the Penobscot Valley Country Club and was hosted by Husson College.
A week after failing to qualify for April's NESCAC Championship round, the Jumbos shot a collective 296 on Sunday to propel them to a seven-stroke lead. They followed that with a solid 309 on Day 2 for a two-day total of 605 that sealed a three-stroke victory over second-place Bowdoin.
Bowdoin sophomore Ryan Blossom captured the individual crown, with a three-under-par total of 141, besting junior teammate Jeff Cutler, who finished second in the tournament, by four strokes.
Freshman sensation Luke Heffernan was the low man for the Jumbos, shooting a two-under 70 on Sunday and a 79 on Monday for a total of 149. Heffernan's mark of five-over was good for fifth place overall in the tournament.
"I was really locked in on Sunday," Heffernan said. "It seemed like I was hitting everything I looked at."
Heffernan was not the only member of the squad who played some of his best golf on Sunday. Three of the five Jumbos recorded drastically lower scores for the event on the first day.
Senior Mike O'Neil was right behind Heffernan, shooting a seven-over 151 for the weekend. Senior Dave Hunt registered a one-under 71 on Sunday, but struggled with an 82 on Monday for a total of 153. Freshman Danny Moll made a solid contribution, carding rounds of 76 on Sunday and 80 on Monday for a 156 overall. Junior Phil Haslett rounded out the Jumbo squad by recording an 80 on Sunday and 78 on Monday for a two-day total of 158.
The Jumbos were able to master a tricky Penobscot course despite less than ideal weather.
"The course played fair," Heffernan said. "It was pretty cold and windy on Sunday, but we just played through and put together a great round."
"It was a little windy on Sunday, and we dealt with some rain on Monday," Moll added. "But for the most part, the course itself didn't give us too much trouble."
The Jumbos vastly improved their putting and overall consistency, two facets of their game which had plagued them in previous tournaments. In particular, errors in the short game have been problematic all season for the Jumbos, but the team was pleased with its effort at Penobscot.
"Putting was a key part of our victory," Heffernan said. "It is something that troubled us in the past, but the greens were rolling true and we were able to capitalize and hit all the important putts. We kept it together for two full days. This was one of the only times this year that everyone was on top of their game at the same time."
"Everyone was really focused, and we were all able to contribute to our lowest collective round of the year," Moll said. "It was great to see all our games come together. It was also nice to finally have a lead on opening day, which allowed us to be confident heading into Day 2."
The Jumbos were ecstatic to notch their first victory of the season. Tufts hopes this is a step in the right direction for future tournaments this year and in the spring.
"It really feels great," Moll said. "We've been in the hunt so many times, and have fallen just short. Everything finally clicked, and we got the win. It feels awesome to get that monkey off our back."
Tufts will look to keep the momentum from this weekend going into Wednesday's tournament at Nichols College.
"So much of golf is a mental game; you have to be optimistic going into each tournament to play well," Heffernan said. "With this win under our belt, our confidence will be high going into Nichols. Hopefully, this will translate to executing on the course."
