Last week's drizzles left the greens at Middlebury College's Ralph Myhre Golf Course slightly soggy and slow, but they did not stop the men's golf team from opening their fall season at the 24th Annual Duke Nelson Invitational. In two days of play, the Jeffs posted an aggregate score of 663, shooting 332 in their first round and 331 in the second. The results were less than ideal: The team took 23rd place in a field of 26 teams.

Individually, first-year Trip Wray '11 excelled for Amherst, posting a +18 overall at 160-good for a tie for 52th overall out of 128 competitors. Chris Valentine '09 also had a very strong showing, with scores of 80 and 81 for a total of 161. Close behind was Adam Shniderman '10, who finished at 166 after shooting an 81 and an 85. To a man, despite their efforts, the Jeffs struggled with consistency, a critical element in the game of golf and a major goal of this year's team.

The short game was particularly frustrating, as Shniderman explained, "The greens were tricky and many of us struggled on them." Strong winds on Saturday made approach shots very difficult. Captain Jesse Corradi '08 and Judd Olanoff '08 had an especially hard time. Both Corradi, who readily admits that he did not hit the ball well on Saturday, and Olanoff shot 92 in their opening rounds. Corradi followed up with an 84, while Olanoff finished with an 89. "Everyone played pretty poorly, considering how we've been playing in practice," lamented Shniderman.

The team travels next weekend to the Williams Invitational Tournament, where it expects to perform far better. One factor working in the Jeffs' favor is a less challenging set of greens, which are, according to Shniderman, "tough, but more manageable than those at Middlebury."

While the team hopes to work out the kinks that it experienced last weekend, it understands that the first two tournaments of this fall are warm-ups for the big even of the season: the NESCAC Qualifier. "Despite this weekend's results, we are confident that ... we can not only contend, but win," said Valentine.