Coach Bill Johnson's prediction that his men's golf team would "surprise a lot of teams in the spring," came true this weekend with a second place finish at this year's Yale Invitational.
Second only to Yale, who used its home course advantage to its fullest, Dartmouth beat out four other Ivies, golf powerhouses Central Connecticut and UConn, as well as 10 other fine squads.
Due to extremely demanding and, at times, virtually illegal pin positions, none of the 95 players in the field managed to break par, and only 14 managed to break 80.
With a great effort, Jay Lavender '97 posted a 78. Always a model of consistency, co-Captain MacKenzie Hurd '98 shot a 77. And not far behind was Jay Danzi '98 with a solid 80.
Though co-Captain Steve Sugarman '97 had a rough round, and Jon Heaton '99 struggled with his short game, the team finished with a strong 320.
"Our guys gutted it out, and never said die. I view this as a definite victory," Johnson said.
The team is now secure and confident going into next weekend's Ivy League Tournament, the main focus of the entire season. 1983 was the last year Dartmouth took home the title. The team managed a second place finish last year, and Hurd placed sixth.
"We feel really good now, and anything is possible. Nothing would surprise me. I think we have a great shot at winning it," Lavender said. Such was the opinion of the rest of the squad.
"If we play well, we'll be in contention. If we play our best we'll win," Johnson said. As we have seen, he has been known to make an accurate bet in the past.
