"The wet weather was a double-edged sword at Williams," said sophomore Chris Valentine. "It both lengthened the course and slowed down the usually lightning-fast greens."
Valentine finished the first day with the lowest score from Amherst, a 77. Senior co-captain Andrew Bruns followed with a 78, but none of the three other Amherst representatives-senior co-captain Sean Jules, Will Collins '09 and Adam Shniderman '10-managed to break 80 on the opening day. Though Shniderman managed to hit the ball well, he was plagued by poor putting, totaling 42 strokes with the flat stick on the first day.
Day two saw an improvement in Shniderman's game, and he ended the weekend 85-74-159. Collins, who was playing in his first tournament of the season, also made progress on the second day, emerging with a score of 83-80-163, while Jules cracked the 80 barrier to produce a final score of 84-79-163. The top two Jeffs from day one, Valentine and Bruns, slipped off their form slightly, closing the weekend 77-81-158 and 78-84-162, respectively. Despite the dropoff, Valentine and Bruns still placed first and third, respectively, for Amherst. Overall, the team finished in 12th place out of a field of 20, slightly below the middle-of-the-pack rankings it had been posting all season.
There is no doubt that the Jeffs boast an abundance of talent; their problem is not a lack of ability but the erratic performances of individual golfers, who go from uninspired performances one weekend to impressive showings the next.
"We have the talent to compete with the best teams around," Valentine said. "But it requires everyone's games coming together at the same time."
With the NESCAC Tournament at Bowdoin College this weekend, the team will have to work hard to achieve the synergy it needs. There are some interesting challenges for the Jeffs this weekend. Fellow NESCAC schools Williams, and Middlebury and Hamilton Colleges performed well at Taconic this past weekend, and with Bruns sitting out the NESCAC Tournament while he takes the LSATs, his regular spot on the five-person roster is up for grabs. "With Andy gone we're all going to have to pick up our game," said Valentine.
Considering Jules' record in his first three NESCAC Tournaments, the senior co-captain should be able to pick up the slack. Jules has been named to the First Team All-NESCAC squad three years in a row, placing as high as second his sophomore year. But everyone-not just Jules-will have to play better this weekend.
Shniderman is confident that the NESCAC Tournament will be a good one. "I have made some adjustments that should help my putting," he said. "I'm looking forward to the NESCACs and hopefully bringing it together for two good rounds. I learned a lot playing there at the Bowdoin Invite and hopefully I can use that info to put on a good showing. With how well I am hitting the ball right now, if my putting will come together, I think the NESCACs will be a great experience."
The NESCAC crown remains within reach for the Jeffs, and they are hungry for a performance that will showcase what the team can really do. The conference title has been the focus of the team's efforts and strategy this season, and they know the NES-
CAC course at Bowdoin well, having played there just three weekends ago. The golfers have their eye on the grand prize-an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament for the team-and this weekend will be the crucial tournament where everything will have to come together for the Jeffs. Will the Bowdoin course be kind to Amherst and will the Jeffs measure up against the other contenders for the title? They are certainly more than capable, but only time will tell.
NESCAC Notes
At the Williams Invitational, the host school came in fourth place, while Middlebury was seventh. Hamilton clocked in at ninth and Trinity College at 11th. The Jeffs finished ahead of the other NESCAC schools in the tournament, as Bowdoin and Wesleyan University came in 15th and 16th place, respectively.