Giguere Captures Individual Tourney at Williams, Women’s Team Turns in Balanced Effort at Amherst

On Saturday, April 21, the men’s golf team traveled down Route 7 to compete in the Williams Spring Invitational, held at the Taconic Golf Club. The women’s team, meanwhile, headed to the Jack Leaman Invitational, hosted by Amherst at the Amherst Golf Club. As the semester winds down, both squads were looking to emerge victorious in a spring season that allowed them few opportunities to do so. Last weekend marked the second out of three weekends of competition for them this spring.

In the Williams tournament, the men’s team came away with a strong finish that placed them second in the eight-team field. The team total was 607 after two rounds. Taking the crown was Trinity College, who shot 9 points lower at 598, thanks to the efforts of Bantams like Will Rosenfeld, Nate Choukas, and Kole Kelly, who were tied for second, fourth, and fourth, respectively. The hosting team, Williams, finished third by shooting 621.

Jeffrey Giguere ’20 was one of the central factors behind the Panthers’ performance. His two-round total of 149 was good enough to win the individual tournament crown. Giguere was consistent throughout both rounds, scoring 74 in the first and 75 in the second. Behind him was Jordan Bessalel ’21, who managed to tie for fourth by hitting a total of 151. Reid Buzby ’19 placed eighth with his total of 152.

Other Panthers included Phil Morin ’19, who tied for 17th with a 158; David Packer ’20, who hit 169; and David McDaniel ’19 at 170. John Stenovec ’20 also competed on the first day, carding a 74.

“It was super windy both days, and I felt like when I was hitting the ball, it was very solid,” said Giguere. “I was in control into and down wind, and I was flighting the ball the way I needed to in order to keep out it of the wind.”

“I think the conditions going into last weekend were pretty tough — we had winds of up to 25–30 miles per hour,” said Morin. “I’m really proud of how everyone played and [ground] it out. Being the kind of spring weather that we’ve had, it’s been really difficult to get out our A-games from the fall.”

In the Jack Leaman Invitational, the women’s team finished fourth in a field that included seven teams. Taking the title was Amherst, whose pace of 634 was the result of two Mammoth efforts, courtesy of Isabelle Ouyang and Zoe Wong, who finished first and second, respectively, on the individual leaderboard. The Panthers finished fourth, one spot behind conference rival Williams.
Hope Matthews ’18 tallied the lowest two-round total with a 164, which tied her for 13th. Blake Yaccino ’ 20 landed at 18th after shooting 84 and 81 for a combined 165. Katharine Fortin ’18 finished 19th with a two-day total of 166. Chloe Levins ’20 shot a 167, and Helen Dailey ’19 rounded out the Panthers’ efforts with a tournament total of 169.

For the women’s squad, last weekend wasn’t their best performance. One of the challenges the Panthers faced was their unfamiliarity with Amherst’s course.

“In this particular tournament, none of our team had played Amherst Golf Club before, so it was a new course for everyone,” said Matthews. “The team played a practice round on Friday to see what the holes were like.

“I think it’s possible that our team is having trouble staying confident on the course because we haven’t had much outdoor practice time this spring,” Matthews added. “In a five-hour round of golf, if a doubt about your preparation prior to the round comes into your mind, it can be difficult to fully push that thought out.”