Last weekend, the men's golf team traveled to the picturesque Taconic Golf Club in Williamstown, Mass., to compete in the Williams Invitational, tying for 13th place in the 19-team field. After being plagued by inconsistent play last weekend, the Jeffs cleaned up their game and shot a 315 on Saturday and a 319 on Sunday, for a total of 634. The team's familiarity with the links was a great help-most of the veterans have played the par-71 course multiple times. However, the biggest reason for the team's improved performance was a higher level of consistency.

Trip Wray '11 led Amherst with a score of 156, shooting a 79 in his first round and a 77 in his second. Wray's dependability is unrivaled. Chris Valentine '09 remarked, "Trip has played very well for his first few rounds of college golf and will only get better."

While Valentine opened with a 77, he laments that he "was consistently unable to capitalize on scoring opportunities," particularly on the second day, when he shot an 82 for a total of 159. Adam Shniderman '10, who finished at 163, started with an excellent 78, but struggled on Sunday, posting an 85.

Unlike his teammates, Glenn Wong '09 played his best golf on Sunday. However, he had a difficult time on Saturday, totaling 168. His second-round score of 77 matched the team's best, but it could not make up for the 91 he posted on the first day. Captain Jesse Corradi '08 shot a combined 164, hitting the ball well, but recording several double bogeys that hurt his final numbers.

The Ephs placed second last weekend, with a score of 607, and Amherst will have ample time to hone its play before the two significant rivalry matches in the spring: the Little III Championships and the Williams Quad. "I am really looking forward to [the Qualifier] this weekend because guys are looking like they are going to peak at the right time, which will make for lower scores and certain improvement from an already much improved showing," said Corradi. The timing of Amherst's zenith appears to be good, as the top four teams in the NESCAC will earn a spot in a playoff for Nationals this spring.