Physical and mental fatigue got the better of the men’s golf team Monday and Tuesday at the Adams Cup in Newport, R.I.: The Bulldogs took ninth place out of 17 teams in the tournament, posting a combined score of 908 (+44).
“I have to admit they looked pretty run-down after playing 36 holes Monday,” said head coach Colin Sheehan ’97.
The University of Central Florida finished far ahead of the competition to take the top spot. The Knightros’ three-round cumulative score of 868 was only four above par. The second-place finisher, the University of West Florida, had a cumulative score of 886, 22 shots above par. Brown, which took 17th place, was the only other Ivy team competing in the tournament.
Captain Tom McCarthy ’11 finished with the lowest score for the five Eli golfers competing, tying for 14th place with a cumulative 223 (+7). Brad Kushner ’13 tied for 24th with a cumulative 226, 10 shots over par, while Sam Bernstein ’14 tied for 33rd with a 228 (+12).
“Personally, I was looking forward to this week because we have a great team, and we are going to be very successful. I thought with better teams coming we could show people what we got,” McCarthy said.
Sheehan said the 25 mph wind blowing Monday was a hindrance to the Bulldogs’ performance. Kushner said the key to managing such difficult conditions was to stay patient and focused. Unfortunately, he said, the Elis lacked patience during the first round, while the other teams were able to take shots one at a time and play in the moment.
Bernstein said he struggled with consistency in the tournament, shooting anywhere from an Eagle to a bogey to two eight-over-pars.
“I’m swinging really well … but not doing anything with my rounds, which makes it more frustrating,” he said.
McCarthy said it is this frustration the team needs to learn how to handle, adding that each person needs to focus more on individual shots and react better to missed or bad shots rather than getting overly emotionally involved.
Looking ahead, the Elis will host the Macdonald Cup on Oct. 2 and 3. Sheehan said that with 36 holes of golf to play on Oct. 2, the team will work on physical conditioning.
“We will get some rest and have a fresh new mindset,” McCarthy added.
Bernstein said the low rounds shot by McCarthy and Kushner in past tournaments on the home course coupled with his own success in the Borsodi Tournament at Yale earlier this season means there is a lot of Bulldog talent available for the Macdonald Cup.
Ultimately, Kushner said this week’s performance was just an off-week for Yale.
“Some days and some weeks, you just don’t play the best golf,” he said. “We didn’t play to best of our ability. There is not any main reason behind it.”