Monday and Tuesday, the dynamic duo held true to form. At the 69th annual New England Intercollegiate Golf Association (NEIGA) Championships, Sharaf shot 76-81-157, Jules 77-82-159, and the Lord Jeffs finished tied for second with UMass-Dartmouth out of 24 Div. III teams.
A team score of 655 was not enough to best a talented team from Husson College (Maine), whose 633 gave it another win over Amherst, but the men were nonetheless pleased with their gutsy performance. "We showed good perseverance in very tough conditions," said Head Coach Jack Arena.
Sharaf bogeyed 13 through 17, yet still managed to fire a four-over par 76 on Monday. On Tuesday, he battled 30-mile-per-hour winds and conditions that several Jeff golfers described as the worst they had ever endured, and still posted a very respectable 81. His score of 157 was good for 22nd place individually in a field of 225 players.
Jules played Sharaf close, as he has all year (through the season's first five tournaments, the two have scoring averages of 78.4 and 78.3, respectively). Jules' 159 earned him a 31st place-finish. Sophomore David Litt, meanwhile, struggled after an opening-round 76. Still, he rallied from a woeful front-nine 49 to card a 38 on the back, for a 76-87-163. Dan Altschuler '04 rounded out the Jeffs' scorers with a 90-87-177.
"It was a solid performance by the team," said Litt. "Although the conditions were very difficult, we really hung in there."
The golf team wraps up its season Monday at the Toski Invitational at Hickory Ridge Country Club in Amherst. Last year, Central Connecticut State University won the tournament with a team score of even par, so the Jeffs have their work cut out for them.