The Dartmouth golf team returned to Hanover Saturday night clinging to hopes of an NCAA berth.
The team finished fourth in the Rhode Island Invitational, overshadowing two brilliant performances by senior co-Captains Alec Dicks and Bryan Kim.
Kim jumped out early and finished the first day in first place with a spectacular 72. The windy conditions on the second day proved too much of a match as he shot a 78 to close out the weekend in fourth place.
"The wind was tough, but that's no excuse," Kim said. "I wasn't striking the ball as well as last week."
Dicks notched a 78 on both days. The wind was not the culprit in "Dixie's" game. Rather it was inconsistent putting that troubled the spiritual leader of the club.
"My main focus in recent weeks has been to capture the speed of the greens. As a result I lost a little in my accuracy, especially on longer putts."
Freshman sensation Mackenzie Hurd suffered a bit of a letdown, shooting a 78 on the first day and an 81 in the second round.
Steve Sugarman '97 shot an 162 for the weekend while Jay Danzi '98 finished fifth on the squad.
To secure a berth for the NCAA tournament, the team must finish first at the New England Championships this coming weekend.Dicks said this is within reach.
"Right now we're looking at fourth and long with bases loaded, and we need a three pointer. However, if any team can do it, this is the one. We'll be certain to watch tapes of Jack Nicklaus's breathtaking comeback at Augusta in 1986 as motivation for this weekend's tournament."
The team needs no more motivation than the possibility of playing in the NCAAs for the first time in 12 years.
