The golf team closed out the fall portion of its season over the weekend in Westerly, R.I., at the first annual Classic at Shelter Harbor, hosted by the University of Rhode Island. In total, 16 teams competed in the tournament, including all eight Ivy League schools. After a tough first day, all five Red golfers improved their scores in round two, placing 10th overall and sixth out of the eight Ancient Eight teams. Columbia won the tournament, outshooting second place Harvard by nine strokes.While the forecasted rain held off and did not interrupt play, winds of up to 50 miles per hour proved to be a huge factor for every team and led to high scores across the board.“It was a great course,” said senior captain Dan Bosse. “It was a great course visually and it was in good condition; what hurt everyone’s scores the most was the wind. It was really strong and constantly switching direction which makes it really tough to decide what to do shot to shot.”On day two the winds settled down a bit, topping out at 35 miles per hour. That, along with more familiarity with the course, led to lower scores for all five members of the Red. Junior John Dean led the way with a two-day total of 149, with senior captain Matt Jaye right behind him with a 151. “We got off to a great start [on day two],” Jaye said. “We were eight under as a team through the first four or five holes, but we couldn’t hold it.”Bosse finished third for the Red with a 155, only after being controversially called out for a 2-stroke penalty by Boston College’s coach for raking a sand trap before playing his ball even though the ball’s lie was unaffected.“I guess that’s a rule, so it’s my fault,” Bosse said. “But it was pretty frustrating shooting a 75 and then having to card a 77.”With its fall schedule complete, the Red knows it has a lot of room for improvement between now and the spring season, but is confident in the ability and talent level that it has shown over the last two months.“I’m happy with the potential that I see in this team,” Jaye said. “I’m looking forward to everyone firing on all cylinders and playing up to their potential. I’ve seen it in practice rounds and during tryouts but for whatever reason we haven’t been able to bring it all together on game day, but we have a lot of good players and a lot of new, young guys who can perform.”
Original Author: Ware Cady