The sign on the first tee at Bethpage Country Club reads "Experts Only" and after the performance this weekend, the men's golf team proved itself to be worthy of this status.
After being sidelined for a week because of inclement weather, the Big Green returned to action in Long Island for the Ivy Championships.
The star of the tournament was senior Bryan Kim who lived up to all of his hype with a first-place finish in the individual standings.
Kim started off with a very respectable 78 on the first day and then settled down for two scorching rounds of 75 to finish with a two day total of 228.He eked out the victory as Joel Radtke ended the tournament with a 229.
"On the first tee on Friday, I noticed the sign and realized I could not beat this course by playing conservatively," Kim said. "I went out and played aggressively, fired at the pins all weekend and fortunately I came out on top."
MacKenzie Hurd '98 turned in an All-Ivy performance, tying for seventh place with a score of 236.
These scores led the Big Green to their highest finish in two years and placed them in good position to make their way to the NCAA tournament.
Senior co-Captain Alec Dicks summed up the team's determination when in the team meeting he announced, "We've been waiting for this tournament for quite awhile. Take no prisoners."
Finishing second behind Princeton, the team went out and played like it was on a mission.
The team score of 949 was seven strokes behind Princeton.
Dartmouth was the top team in the New England region in the tournament which keeps it in striking distance of the NCAA tournament.
The Big Green needs to finish second in the region to guarantee a NCAA berth, and this weekend did nothing to hurt the cause.
The Big Green tied Harvard for second place but claimed it for themselves due to the withdrawal of Harvard's fifth player.
Strong scores by all five players paced the team. Steve Sugarman '97 scored a 243 for the tournament, Jay Danzi '98 shot a 247 and Dicks rounded it out with a 248.
The team will face some of its stiffest competition this weekend when it travels to Rhode Island.
All of the teams that Dartmouth will be challenging for NCAA spots will compete at the tournament, making it a litmus test for the team's credibility.
