Golf team fades on Sunday in tune-up for NESCAC Qualifier

Tufts visited conference rival Williams over the weekend to compete in its final competition before the NESCAC Qualifier. The Williams Fall Invite was held at the Taconic Golf Club in Williamstown, Mass., where the Jumbos finished in a tie for eighth place out of 20 teams, shooting 622 overall. The tournament was won by the host Ephs, who shot 588, 17 strokes ahead of second place Husson University.

The Jumbos kicked off the Invite in strong form, finishing Saturday's first round in third place.The team was led by senior co-captain Justin Feldman, who finished with a 4-over 75, closing the first round in a tie for eighth.Junior Brandon Karr and sophomore Henry Hughes both finished at 5-over 76 to place in a tie for 12th.The Jumbos' scoring on Saturday was rounded out by first-year Mac Bredahl, who shot a 6-over 77 to enter the second round in a tie for 24th, and sophomore Harry Theodore, who recorded an 8-over 79. The Jumbos finished the day in prime position to challenge for a great finish on Sunday, sitting only one stroke behind the second-place Babson Beavers and eight shots behind the leading Ephs.

Tufts was unable to capitalize on its first-round success, however, shooting a 318 on Day 2 to fall into a tie for eighth. Every Jumbo golfer finished with a higher score in the second round than they recorded in the first. Karr dropped one shot, firing a 6-over 77 to end the tournament in a tie for 16th place.Feldman fell into a tie for 28th after shooting 9-over 80 on Sunday.Bredahl shot 8-over 79 to finish in a tie for 32nd, while Theodore (11-over 82) and Hughes (14-over 85) to tie for 57th place.

The tournament featured only just one golfer under par, as Williams junior co-captain Sam Goldenring finished with a 2-under 140.Last year's top finisher at the NESCAC Championship, Trinity senior Will Rosenfield, finished second with a 3-over score of 145.

While the Jumbos were disappointed by Sunday's results, they felt that their first round performance showed signs of being able to compete with NESCAC powerhouses in the upcoming conference tournament.

"We had a really strong showing on Saturday and obviously Sunday was disappointing," Karr said. "Still, we proved to ourselves that we can beat teams that have been playing well this year, like Trinity and Middlebury. We have a lot more confidence after this past weekend, regardless of where we finished, and know we are plenty capable of qualifying this coming weekend. This week, we’re just looking to prepare properly, touch up our games and figure out who we need playing to solidify a spot in the top four [at the NESCAC Qualifier]."

Tufts will tee off against plenty of talented competition this weekend at the Qualifier, from which the top four teams will advance to the conference championship tournament in the spring. Last season, the Jumbos qualified for the first time since the tournament was instituted in its current format, and they will look to repeat their success this year.

The team will face off with powerhouses such as Williams — which handily won the last two regional tournaments — Trinity, Middlebury and Hamilton, which finished in third, seventh and tied for eighth this weekend, respectively.Feldman, Karr and Theodore will return to the qualifying tournament after competing in the event last year, as the trio finished third, fourth and fifth for the Jumbos, respectively, in the team's third-place effort.

The two-day NESCAC Qualifier will be held at the Lyman Orchards Golf Club in Middlefield, Conn. on Saturday and Sunday. There, the Jumbos will take on the host Wesleyan Cardinals and the rest of the NESCAC in hopes of earning a spot to compete in the conference championship.