The Tufts golf team continues to improve with each passing tournament.
The Jumbos finished in seventh place out of 21 entrants in this weekend's Duke Nelson Invitational, held at the par-71 Ralph Myhre Golf Course in Middlebury, Vt.
The lowest four scores from each five-man team comprised the final standings. Tufts shot a collective 323 on Saturday and then shaved eight strokes off that total to fire a cumulative 315 on Sunday. The team ended with a total of 638, good for 70 over par.
Tufts finished 32 strokes behind the tournament champion Salem State Vikings, who were second at last weekend's Williams Invitational, in which the Jumbos finished 10th. Senior Nick Antonelli of Salem State was the individual champion, finishing at three over par.
Despite dealing with the absence of head coach Bob Sheldon, Tufts was able to keep the confidence it had gained in the second round of last weekend's Williams Invitational, when the team shot a 305. The Jumbos also battled inconsistent conditions throughout the weekend.
"The first day was windy as hell," senior Cal Shapiro said. "I felt like I was at the British Open. And the course was just completely soaked on the second day."
Nevertheless, the Jumbos utilized their resolve, as they managed to improve their score on the second day despite the dreary weather. It was reminiscent of last weekend's performance at Williams, where Tufts shaved fourteen strokes off its total in the second day of competition compared to the first. In both instances, Tufts moved up three spots in the final standings thanks to its second-day play.
"It was an interesting course, and, as the second day was so rainy and wet, the course played a lot longer," senior Brett Hershman said. "Mental toughness was key for us, as we persevered and were able to achieve the results we wanted."
Hershman was the team's low man for the weekend, following a round-one 81 with a 75 on Day Two for a total of 156, which put him in a tie for 20th in the individual standings. Junior Dan Moll, fresh off a one-week hiatus, was not far behind, carding an 80 and a 77 for a two-day total of 157.
Shapiro paired an 84 with a 77 for a total of 161, while junior Luke Heffernan and freshman Mike McCarthy rounded out the squad, both shooting 168s over the two rounds.
"We were keeping the ball on the fairway and sinking our putts," Hershman said. "I think this is a direct result from a productive week of practice. We got to play two tough courses, which gave us some experience and led to better execution over the weekend."
Although not all of the Jumbos were at the pinnacle of their game at the Duke Nelson, they were picked up by the play of Hershman and Moll.
"The play of Birdman [Hershman] and D-Moll really kept us in it this weekend," Shapiro said.
In the absence of Sheldon, Tufts was led by associate coach Matt Malone.
"Coach Malone has great spirit and drive," Shapiro told the Daily. "He really got us to where we needed to be."
Tufts will look to parlay its momentum into next weekend's NESCAC Qualifier at Williams. The Jumbos will be looking to improve upon their eighth place finish last fall. If Tufts can finish in the top four, it will guarantee the team a spot in the conference championship tournament in the spring.
The task will be a tough one, however, as three of the four teams that qualified for the tournament last season — Middlebury, Trinity and Williams — finished ahead of Tufts this past weekend. The one bright spot, however, was that the Jumbos tied for seventh with the fourth qualifier from last season, Hamilton.
Heading into this decisive tournament, the Jumbos are right where they want to be.
"We all had at least one good round this weekend," Hershman said. "If we can all put two rounds like that together in the same tournament, a top four finish is absolutely within our sights."
"We have been building our confidence for NESCACs," Shapiro added. "With Coach Sheldon at the helm, it's tough not to dominate."
