The Jeff squad ended the tournament with a score of 645, ninth in the field, a disappointing result given the level of potential on the team. Though Amherst bested a weak performance from rival Williams College in the first round, the Ephs managed to overtake the Jeffs by the end of the tournament. The Jeffs' performance this weekend was hampered by injuries, uncooperative weather and the fact that the tournament was held a week earlier than the usual start of their season. Senior Drew Russ's intention to play at Bowdoin was foiled by an ingrown toenail. Meanwhile, rain on the first day drove the golfers off the course after nine holes, forcing the Jeffs to get up at 5:30 a.m. the next morning to make their 7:00 a.m. tee times to finish the rest of their first round. Fatigue became a serious problem as they progressed through their second round on the same day.
"The final day was definitely made more difficult by finishing the final nine holes from the first round early that morning," said Chris Valentine '09. "I fought hard for my scores, but in both rounds I came into the final few holes four strokes over and failed to finish strong. But we all got to see the course at Bowdoin for the first time and hope to use that knowledge towards the NESCACs."
Amherst was represented at the Bowdoin Invitational by the five golfers who won their chance to play at Bowdoin in the three qualifying rounds the team held last week. Senior co-captain Andrew Bruns, who emerged with a score of 78-81-159, has been shooting well this season, coming in first in the team's qualifying rounds. The other senior co-captain Sean Jules shot an 81-81-162, while junior Jesse Corradi overcame an uninspired first round score of 96 to shoot an 86, despite the grueling schedule on the second day. Valentine shot an 82-80-162. First-year Adam Shniderman, who turned in a first-rate showing in the qualifying rounds, was troubled by his putting at the tournament and produced a score of 80-82-162.
"For me fatigue really started to set in towards the end of the second round," said Shniderman. "Unfortunately, hitting the ball well, and putting it where I wanted on the course just could not make up for one of my worst displays of putting in a long time. Coming off a couple of good qualifying rounds of 38 and 36 at Hickory Ridge, the 80 and 82 at Bowdoin were very disappointing and will serve to motivate me to make my second college tournament a much better one. I look forward to contributing to the team in a manner I know I am capable of and would love to see our team continue to improve."
The Jeffs have a full slate of tournaments for this month with competitions at Middlebury, Williams and then NESCACs at Bowdoin. The first tournament gave the golfers the opportunity to test their games early and get a feel for this season. Amherst will certainly look to improve in the coming weeks as they aim for a solid performance in the NESCACs but the squad will have to work hard in order to get to the level necessary to capture a NES-
CAC crown.