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The Dartmouth
July 26, 2025 | Latest Issue
The Dartmouth

Golf team finishes in top of pack

Freshman prospect, Jon Heaton '99, took the tee this weekend at the Toski Intercollegiate Invitational with butterflies in his stomach and a fresh Titeliest in his hand. Though the butterflies remained for the duration of the match, the Titeliest quickly found its way into the "drink," on the hardest par four Hickory Ridge Country Club [Oak Ridge, Mass.] had to offer.

Yet, things would only head uphill for both Heaton and the promising Dartmouth men's golf squad; while Heaton rallied back to finish Sunday's opening round with an impressive 79, the team overall placed sixth in a field of 24. The Big Green would keep that sixth place finish on Monday to end the tournament.

When asked about Heaton's collegiate golfing future, each team member asked had the same thing to say, "he's got potential."

Heaton went into the Toski with a hidden objective in the back of his mind, "I didn't want to let the team down," he said. Heaton's two day score of 79-81 left little room for that possibility.

"We know now that we can count on him," co-Captain MacKenzie Hurd '98 said.

Hurd joined other veteran teammates co-Captain Steven Sugarman '97, Jay Danzi '98, and Jay Lavender '97 to lead the Big Green at Toski.

Collectively, the squad posted a 307 [sixth] on Sunday, and a 306 [second] on Monday. The team total of 613 was only nine strokes off the winning score of 604 set by the University of Rhode Island.

"As a first tournament, it went pretty well," Sugarman said.

Hurd returned to the Toski with bitter-sweet memories of his last year's sudden death, second place finish. While he admitted that his putting seemed a bit off, Hurd was relatively pleased with his outstanding 76-74, which earned him eighth place among Division I competitors.

"Everybody was fairly consistent," Hurd said. "That's what we need throughout the year. I'm glad everyone got to put a score in."

Hurd looks forward to this weekend's Dartmouth Invitational, where, as anyone who has ever had the privilege of playing the quirky Hanover Country Club knows, the Big Green will have definite home course advantages. Proving that both captains are focused and ready to play, Sugarman posted a first round score of 76. Though his second day total of 80 was a bit higher than he had hoped, Sugarman cited little errors as the root of his problem, which is to be expected in any opening match.

Sugarman returned to the links this year with more varsity experience than the rest of the squad combined. This should prove to be a valuable asset for both he and his young teammates as the season gets underway.

On the other end of the spectrum, Lavender, whose varsity experience has been somewhat limited thus far, proved that he was set on becoming an integral part of this squad as well.

After a disappointing first round of 82, Lavender pulled himself together in champion fashion to finish Monday's round with a stunning 75. The team knows Lavender is capable of this high caliber of performance on a routine basis.

Living up to his name, Danzi, affectionately known as "The Great Danzini," managed to shoot an excellent two day score of 76 and 77 earning him a tenth place finish amongst the field of golfers.

Today, the men will look to use experience gained from last weekend's tournament, and the Big Green appears to be armed and ready for the ECAC qualifiers this afternoon.

Only time and trial will tell if such a young team can accomplish what they are truly capable of. In the words of Coach Bill Johnson, "We're right on track, and ready to make a move."

Friday, the Big Green will bring their action home as they host the Dartmouth Invitational at the Hanover Country Club.