The men's golf team has had a busy two weeks, crisscrossing the Northeast in pursuit of low scores and consistent play. Two weeks ago the Jeffs trekked to Saratoga Springs to compete in Skidmore's Fall Classic. This tournament followed junior Sean Jules' fantastic showing at the NESCAC Championships where he shot a 76-75-151, good for fifth place individually and earning him First Team All-NESCAC honors.Unfortunately, Jules was unable to join the team on the voyage to upstate New York. Of course, it was unlikely that the squad from NESCACs would make this trip. Head Coach Jack Arena has been giving all of his team, including four newcomers, ample opportunity to test the waters, searching for a diamond in the considerable rough. Therefore, of the five Jeffs that competed in Williamstown in the NESCACs, only Andrew Bruns '07, competed again at Skidmore.

Fortunately, Drew Russ '07 was able to rise to the occasion, leading the Jeffs in scoring with a 77, placing 12th. Bruns shot a 78, good for 15th. Senior co-captain David Litt participated in his first tournament of the year after being a solid contributor throughout his collegiate career. Unfortunately, his rustiness showed, and he tallied an 84, followed by first-year Will Collins with an 85. Fellow first-year Chris Valentine rounded out the scores with a 92. The Jeffs placed seventh out of the eight participating teams in a tough field, as Skidmore took their own title with a 303, 21 strokes off of the Jeff's grand total.

The Jeffs resumed competition on Monday, when they traveled to Cape Cod for the New England Intercollegiate Golf Association Championships. Jules was able to step up and produce a solid 78-79-157, good for 42nd. Russ came out slow on Monday but was able to turn his game around on day two, scoring an impressive 76, bringing his two day total to 161. First-year Glen Wong was able to break 80 for the first time in his collegiate career, but reverted back to old habits on Tuesday, ending up with 79-84-163. Wong also contributed by winning the tournament's long drive competetion with a 340-yard blast, which won the team nearly $1,500 worth of free equipment. Sophomore Jesse Corradi, who has been shooting in the mid to upper 80s all season, did not deviate, posting an 86-87-173. Once again the Jeffs landed in the middle of the pack, placing 22nd out of the 54 competing teams from Div. I, II and III.

"I think that the scores posted aren't really indicative of how we played given the weather," said Jules. "Both days there were 30 mph winds, and it rained, so I think we shot well considering the conditions."

With the fall season over, the Jeffs have finally formed a nucleus around the team's juniors: Russ, Bruns and Jules. Look for these three to elevate their play in the spring-with a little help the Jeffs should be able to break mediocrity and be competitive.