While the Tufts golf team was able to escape most of the lousy weather that battered the Boston area this weekend, the Jumbos were not so quick to dodge the stiff competition that blocked their path toward victory at this weekend's NESCAC qualifier tournament.
Despite solid play from a few Jumbos, the team finished eighth out of 10 conference teams and in turn failed to qualify for the conference championships in the spring. The top four finishers of the tournament, which was held at the Ralph Myhre Golf Course in Middlebury, Vt., was the host Middlebury, Trinity, Hamilton and Williams, giving those teams the right to compete in the NESCAC Championships in the spring.
Tufts shot a cumulative 319 on Saturday and a 318 on Sunday for a two-day total of 637, 26 strokes behind fourth-place finisher Williams. The Panthers shot a team total of 593, while the Bantams and the Continentals rounded out the top three with scores of 594 and 606, respectively. The course was playing fair, perhaps even easier than normal according to the team, so the Jumbos find nowhere to lay the blame but squarely upon their own shoulders.
"The course was nice, and in theory, it is set up well for our game," junior Brett Hershman said. "There were several par fives we could attack, and also three or four short par fours where you could hit a driver or a three wood to within 100 yards. We could then attack the pins with wedges and short irons. The whole team had opportunities with these easy approach shots, but we just couldn't take advantage."
"The course was playing fair," sophomore Luke Heffernan added. "The greens were running pure, and we also got a big break with the nice conditions."
Senior co-captain Phil Haslett continued his strong season play, posting a 76 on Saturday and a 77 on Sunday for an 11-over-par 153, good for an 11th-place tie overall. Haslett's 153 was 12 strokes behind individual winner Reid Longley of Trinity. Longley, with a score of 141, one shot under par, was the only player who finished the weekend in the red.
Heffernan also played well for Tufts, recording a 79 and a 77 for a total of 156, while Hershman carded an 81 and a 79 for a total of 160. Sophomore Dan Moll shot a two-day 168, while his older brother and senior co-captain Benji Moll notched a 177 on the weekend.
Last year at the NESCAC Qualifier hosted by Hamilton, the Jumbos finished in fifth, just one place removed and seven strokes behind fourth-place finisher Williams, coming up short of a spot in the Championship field last spring.
"We're a little disappointed we didn't improve on last year's result," Heffernan said. "We also need to get a better performance from the Moll Rats [Benji and Dan] in the next tournament."
"We had really hoped to sneak into the top four, it was a big goal of ours," Dan Moll added. "A couple of us struggled so it was a bit of a letdown. But I think we can learn from this weekend that we just have to keep grinding no matter what happens or how bad we are playing."
The team will look to rebound at next week's Husson Tournament at the Penobscot Valley course in Orono, Maine, where Tufts is the defending champion.
"Our confidence should be high as defending champs," Hershman said. "We have to put this weekend behind us. Every new round has potential, so we can't dwell on this week."
Heffernan was bold with his prediction and said that he is "issuing a 100-percent guarantee that we will win the Husson Tournament."
Dan Moll, on the other hand, was a bit more reserved about the team's prospects when play starts this Sunday.
"Hopefully we can bounce back and if we play the way we are capable of we can take down the Husson tournament," he said.
