Last season junior Sean Jules emerged as the scoring leader for the Jeffs in the four out of five tournaments in which he participated, and his performance over Spring Break indicates a continuance of this trend. "I feel that my game is in pretty good shape after being able to practice a good amount in Hilton Head," he said. "As always, my putting needs work but I am hoping that will gradually improve after playing some tournaments and getting a look at the different types of greens we will be playing."
Junior Andrew Bruns played in the first four tournaments of the fall season, posting consistent but unspectacular scores. The third junior on the squad, and probably the team's hottest player over Spring Break, Drew Russ, is playing well after taking last year off. Senior co-captains David Litt and Keith Zalaski, sophomores Jesse Corradi and Judd Olanoff and first-years Will Collins, Glenn Wong and Chris Valentine alternated to round out the rest of the lineup.
The team started off its 2005-06 season at the Duke Nelson Invitational, competing against 23 other teams including Williams and Middlebury Colleges and NYU. Williams took the title, and Amherst took 17th with a two-day score of 325-329-654, 56 strokes behind the Ephs. Jules tied for 53rd with a score of 76-82-158, and Bruns followed 82-78-160.
From there the Jeffs visited the renowned Taconic Golf Course to compete in the Williams Invitational, which featured 24 teams. The Jeffs took 19th, but managed to improve their two-day total 324-326-650. Again, Jules led the way for the Jeffs 77-81-158, with Bruns following closely 81-78-159. Russ managed to break 80 the first day but fell back on the second to end with 79-85-164.
Upon returning to the Taconic for the NESCAC Championships, Jules was able to break through in a tournament in which he has always excelled. As a rookie Jules placed third in the tournament, and last year he achieved runner-up status. This year was no exception, and Jules shot a 76-75-151 for fifth place and his third-straight first-team all-conference honors. Despite Jules' efforts, the team was unable to rally. Wong had the next best score with an 80-82-162 and the Jeffs placed sixth as a team, a drop of two places from the year before. Williams took the NESCAC Championship title.
The Skidmore Fall Classic followed on the heels of NESCACs, but the Jeffs were unable to capitalize on the momentum of Jules' fine performance just a few days prior, as the Chicago native was unable to attend this tournament. The Jeffs suffered a blow, placing seventh out of eight teams. Russ stepped up to lead the team, posting a season-best 77, followed by Bruns who posted a 78. The Jeffs finished the one-day tournament 21 strokes off the pace set by Skidmore, who defended its home turf with the title.
To close out the fall season the Jeffs visited Cape Cod to participate in the NEIGA Championship. The nation's largest intercollegiate tournament, the NEIGA brings together 45 Div. I, II and III squads from New England. The Jeffs ended up bisecting the field, luckily catching the favorable half at 22nd place. Jules returned to post a 78-79-157, followed by Russ 85-76-161.
The Jeffs enter the spring season after a fall which saw only three players break 80. Considered in a different perspective, the team has plenty of room for improvement, which they have strong hopes to do. Russ's game, which struggled to emerge in the fall, may have its stage in this upcoming spring. "Drew really stood out on the Spring Break trip, hitting it as well as anyone and really thinking his way around the golf course. I think he will be an asset to the lineup this spring," said Jules. "Obviously we are looking to improve on our performance from the fall, but I think everyone got a wake-up call from our mediocre finishes and is looking to prove to our competitors that we can play on a level that we know we are capable of."