Golf Team Primed After Short Spring

Author: Jeff Martin

The Panther golf team culminated its two-match spring schedule this past Saturday with a strong fourth place finish at the District One Shootout, hosted at the Taconic Golf Course in Williamstown, Mass.

The Shootout was confined to a single-day event after inclement weather cancelled Sunday's round. The Panther's combined round of 316 placed them behind only Williams (303), Babson (309) and Husson (315). Individually, Damon Gacicia '02.5 led the way for the Panthers, shooting a round of 76, while up-and-coming Ryan Birtwell '04 shot a solid 79. Following on the heels of their teammates were Brad Tufts '03, Dave Greiner '03 and Ryan Simper '03. Gacicia's round placed him in a tie for sixth place overall. Gacicia noted, "In terms of my round I played well, I just did not hit the ball as well as last week, which cost me a few strokes." Birtwell's contributions awarded him a tie for 18th in a field of 68 competitors from 12 New England colleges.

The team played at the Taconic Golf Course for both of its completed spring tournaments. Players did have to adjust to the ever-changing spring conditions on the course. Simper observed, "[the] course played tougher, it was windy, and the greens were faster." To the same effect Gacicia added, "The course overall played harder than last week. It was longer because we played from the back tees, and the greens were faster than they had been."

Simper made note of the team's improved spring play and stressed that, "next season should be pretty good — the same guys will all be back." Of those returning for next year Tufts remarked, "I'd have to say we are disappointed that the season was so short with the bad weather and all, but we are looking forward to next fall."

An optimistic head coach Bill Beaney also commented that, "Overall, we are happy with how we played this season. Our finishes were better than last year, which is very promising looking forward to the fall."