Although it may seem that the Tufts golfers are stuck in a rut, they have actually made big strides this season.
The Jumbos finished in 10th place out of 20 teams this weekend at the Williams Invitational at the Taconic Golf Club in Williamstown, Mass. The team shot a total of 312 strokes on Saturday and 310 strokes on Sunday to finish the tournament with 622 cumulative swings, 26 strokes back of first-place finisher Skidmore College. In the absence of coach Bob Sheldon, the team was coached by one of last year's captains, Dave Hunt (E '08), as well as assistant Matt Malone.
Although this weekend's result may seem rather average, similar to last week's middle-of-the-pack seventh-place finish in a field of 14 at the Bowdoin Invitational, the team actually shaved 30 strokes off its total score in a tournament featuring stiffer competition. This may be due to the favorable weather conditions over the weekend or perhaps to a change in venue.
"The course is unbelievable," junior Brett Hershman said. "It's one of the most scenic courses I've ever played. The course is also in great shape, and the greens run fast with a lot of undulations, so it's a nice challenge as well."
"Taconic is one of the nicest courses we get to play," said senior co-captain Phil Haslett, who led the team with an even-par 71 on Saturday. "It's one of the nicest public courses in all of Massachusetts."
The team had to adjust to renovations that were being performed on the course, however. Taconic is in the process of undergoing changes that will add approximately 400 yards to the 6,489-yard course and because of the alterations, some of the course's bunkers were roped off with designated drop areas if the players hit into them. Players also teed off from closer tees, which likely helped shave several strokes off of each player's score.
"Although we had to overcome differences with the bunkers and some of the cart tracks, the course was playing a little easier this weekend due to the changes," Haslett said.
The team looked consistent throughout the weekend, with everyone shooting low scores on both Saturday and Sunday. Haslett led the way with his 71 on Saturday, good for a third-place tie overall after the first round. He coupled it with a 78 during play Sunday for a seven-over 149, putting him in a 13th-place tie individually for the tournament.
Senior co-captain Benjie Moll turned in two solid rounds, shooting 78 and 77, while his younger brother, sophomore Danny Moll, carded a respectable 81 and 77. Sophomore Luke Heffernan registered an 82 on Saturday and a 78 Sunday; Hershman also improved from Saturday to Sunday, with an 85 on the first day and a 78 on the second. The team's performance gives the team much-needed confidence heading into next weekend's NESCAC qualifier.
"I think we've made a lot of progress so far this season," Hershman said. "It was nice to see a good number of scores in the 70s. We stepped up against a lot of really good teams."
"We've improved significantly from last week to this week alone," Benjie Moll said. "We were just a few strokes back from the top four in NESCAC, which is what we need next week to qualify for the NESCAC Tournament in the spring."
The key word is optimism as the Jumbos head into what the players consider to be the most important tournament of the year.
"Playing against all these quality teams this weekend has really prepared us for NESCACs," Hershman said. "I think we compare favorably against most NESCAC teams. I like our odds."
"If we can play the way we played today next week, we'll be right there," Moll added.
Although this week's results were encouraging, the senior leadership asserts there is room for improvement. The team is taking a confident but hungry approach into NESCACs.
"We're satisfied with our performance, but at the same time, we can definitely step it up another notch," Haslett said. "We think we're hitting our stride at just the right time: the week leading up to the biggest tournament of the year."
The NESCAC qualifier will be held this upcoming Saturday and Sunday at Middlebury College.
