After two days and 270 combined holes of frustration, five members of the Yale men’s golf left blustery Newport, R.I., unhappy with their performances.
The Elis made their 2007-’08 season debuts at the Adams Cup of Newport at the Newport Golf Club on Tuesday and Wednesday. The team finished 14th of 15 teams with a team score of 948 (+84). They came in ahead of the only other Ivy League squad in the tournament, Brown, who finished with a combined score of 968 (+104).
Wichita State finished on top with a team score of 890 (+26), followed by Southern Mississippi with a score of 901 (+37) and a third-place tie shared by Rhode Island and Maryland, who each finished with a score of 902 (+38).
Heading into the tournament, the team looked to do some damage and compete with some of the nation’s best, but in the end their first outing of the year did not live up to expectations.
“We’re disappointed with our performance, but we’re not going to get down on ourselves,” Ben Wescoe ’10 said. “We’re going to work hard and prepare for the MacDonald Cup [on Oct. 6 and 7] over the next couple weeks.”
The unusually high scores for top teams competing in a collegiate tournament can be blamed on the weather and course conditions at the Newport Golf Club. Players said both days brought constant 25 to 35 miles per hour wind gusts that made the days longer and more frustrating. Along with the strong winds, the storied course proved to have very firm and fast greens.
“The winds were very strong on both days,” Colby Moore ’09 said. “Playing at Yale’s golf course over the past few weeks we weren’t used to brutal conditions like these. The greens were firm and quick, and it just made it tough for us.”
Although the team said it underachieved, not all was negative over the two days. Making his collegiate debut, Thomas McCarthy ’11 led the team and finished 35th in the individual standings with a score of 231 (+15).
“I was very satisfied with my second round [73], but not with my first [78] and third [80] rounds,” McCarthy said. “As a team, we’re disappointed with our performances. We feel we didn’t perform up to our abilities.”
Brandon Marick ’11, also making his collegiate debut, finished tied in 64th place with a score of 242 (+26).
“We were all happy with the way our freshmen performed in their debuts,” Moore said. “They’re just getting used to college golf and are only going to get better.”
Moore finished tied in 53rd place in the individual race with a score of 238 (+22). Wescoe golfed a 241 (+25), good for a tie for 60th place, and Taylor Hakes ended up tied in 64th with a 242 (+26).
With the rough start behind them, the team looks forward to getting back to the Yale golf course and preparing for the MacDonald Cup. Yale will host the tournament, which takes place on Oct. 6 and 7.
“We have the weekend off and then a couple weeks to get ready for a tournament that we host and feel very confident going into it,” Moore said. “After weeks of practicing on the course we feel very confident and expect to win the tournament.”