Golf Team Looks for Last Season Mulligan

Author: J. Donaldson & D. Saper

Middlebury's golf team concluded their first trial this season on Sunday with a fifth-place finish in the 20-team Duke Nelson Invitational Tournament, a result that shows considerable promise for this young squad. There were four other NESCAC title contenders in the field, including Williams, Hamilton, Wesleyan, and Amherst, with Williams and Hamilton being the only NESCAC teams that finished ahead of the Panthers.

Williams, Middlebury's closest rival last year, and eventual titleholder after the Panthers eligibility gaffe, finished second overall. The Ephs managed a score of 305 on Sunday, the best of the second round of competition, and Hamilton finished directly behind them. Clarkson University ended up at the top of the field, and UVM slided into fourth place to round out the top five. While Clarkson's finish at the top was not unexpected nor of much concern, Hamilton's strong finish proved their potential to compete for a NESCAC title this year, which should be an exciting addition to the battle between Middlebury and Williams. In short, the Panthers will have to tap all of their young ability this season if they want to reach for the glory they tasted last fall.

Hamilton's blue chip roster includes transfer Brian Williams, who joins NESCAC competition after playing at Big 10 powerhouse Ohio State. Williams quickly established himself as a force to be reckoned with this year, as he soundly handled the short course, playing efficiently from gate to post. On Saturday Williams shot a near flawless 76, and followed that with a prophetic 71 on Sunday.

"He [Brian Williams] is easily the #1 golfer in the NESCAC," remarked an impressed Mitch St. Peter '06.5. "His presence on the Hamilton team this year makes things a lot more interesting." Indeed, without an ace last year, Hamilton was hardly a threat. Now it appears Middlebury will be playing catch up.

The big story for Middlebury in pre-season was its inexperienced lineup of young bloods still waiting for their first taste of college competition, and to be fair, this weekend was really only significant for the opportunity it provided for the freshman. In that light, the Panthers fifth-place showing starts to look pretty promising. In fact, Jay "Future" Yonamine '07 was Middlebury's top finisher (4th out of 105). St. Peter, who finished 15th overall, and second among the Panthers, was struck by the first-year's awesome prowess on Sunday, especially on the grueling back nine.

"Along with great upperclassmen leadership, which we had never been in doubt of, our freshmen and sophomores looked extremely promising," commented St. Peter.

On the other end of the spectrum, the expected rust some players need to shake off was certainly apparent this weekend. Sean Breen '06, who is expected to be a powerhouse in the Panther lineup this season, finished the final round with a pair of double bogeys for an 83 overall.

"I'm not worried because it's the first competition of the year, but obviously [I am] expecting to do better than this as the season progresses," said Breen, who returns for his second season in a Middlebury uniform.

For the most part, this weekend should be looked at as a qualified success. The Panthers' young squad showed it was up to the task and got an important early taste of rivals Williams and Hamilton. St. Peter, put it simply. "The bottom line is, we have the potential to win multiple tournaments this fall."

On Wednesday, Middlebury will travel to Skidmore for a one-day tourney, but their next real test - and rematch, in part - will be this weekend in a 36-hole tournament at Williams' reputable Taconic Golf Club. The NESCAC championships, also at Taconic, will be played the following weekend to conclude the brief yet weighty fall season.