The golf team ended its fall season on a bittersweet note, finishing 26th out of 44 teams at the 77th annual New England Championships earlier this week in Brewster, Mass.
Unlike most tournaments, the event was played on two par-72 courses: the 6,610-yard Port course on Monday and the 6,687-yard Starboard course on Tuesday.
Featuring New England teams from across all three collegiate divisions, the Jumbos had to contend with some of their toughest competition of the season. Div. I Bryant University took home the title, as the Bulldogs fired a two-day total of 604, good for 28 over par. Sacred Heart University senior Matt Belizze won the tournament in a playoff with three others who had finished the 36 regulation holes with a score of 147.
Tufts ended up 58 strokes back of the team title with a total of 662. Windy and cold conditions didn't help the Jumbos as they tried to take down the best from the region.
"As a squad, we handled the additional pressures of poor conditions quite well," senior co-captain Phil Haslett said. "We had a practice round on Sunday to prepare for the windy and cold conditions, and we had the mindset that every team had to play through it, not just us."
The conditions were indeed felt by every team, as scores dipped across the board, even among the Div. I entrants.
"The weather was a huge difference-maker," sophomore Luke Heffernan said. "The scores were very high with only a few exceptions. On the first day, only 36 people out of 220 broke 80 ... that's ridiculous."
Haslett was the only Jumbo to break 80 for the tournament after his Monday round of 78. He followed it with an 84 for a two-day total of 162. Heffernan and sophomore Danny Moll both shot 165, as Heffernan carded 84/81 and Moll registered an 81/84. Junior Brett Hershman shot 84 on Monday and followed it with an 86 for a total of 170. Senior co-captain Benjie Moll checked in with a 91 and an 86 for a 177.
The tournament marks the end of an up-and-down season for the Jumbos. After some middling and lower finishes during the first half of the season before posting a pair of runner-up showings at the Husson Invitational and Nichols Invitational a few weeks ago.
"Playing golf at Tufts has really been my favorite part of college," said Haslett, who along with Benjie Moll and senior Jesse Shapiro will be graduating this spring. "I've developed a lot since I entered the program, and though I'm sad it's over, I'm happy with what we've accomplished in the past few years."
The underclassmen on the team view the season's results as motivation for improvement.
"We had a lot of fun this year," Heffernan said. "But Danny, Brett and I didn't play up to our potentials this year. Ending up in the middle of the pack [this week] was kind of indicative of our season. We aren't satisfied with just being mediocre, so we need to improve for next season."
Hershman, Heffernan and Danny Moll will look to fill the leadership void left by the graduating seniors. Leading the team to the top will be no easy task, as the level of play in the NESCAC has improved tremendously.
"Golf talent in New England has improved immensely over the four years I've been here," Haslett said. "Team scores from the NESCAC are more than 10 shots lower than they have been in the past."
