Though highs in the 80's and lows in the 70's may still be weeks away for most of us, the Dartmouth men's golf team posted such numbers this weekend, placing them fourth amongst the Yale Invitational's strong field of 22 schools from around the East Coast.
Even without co-Captain Mackenzie Hurd '98, the golfers in green successfully overcame the traditional disadvantage of having no early-spring practice facility and navigated challenging winds in their first tournament of the spring to come up with their very respectable finish.
"It was damn cold out there," Chris Welty '00 said. "And hitting a 2-iron from the fairway when it's 40 degrees out is not a lot of fun."
The Crusaders of Holy Cross captured the event with a score of 306 -five strokes ahead of Providence (311), six ahead of Central Connecticut (312) and nine ahead of the Big Green (315).
An impressive 76 placed co-Captain Jay Danzi '98 at the top of the Dartmouth pack and seventh out of the 125 competitors. Freshman Kyle Song and Welty followed closely behind with 77 and 78, respectively. Freshman Jon Edwards' 84 completed the squad's entry, while Jon Heaton '99 rounded out the squad's field by shooting a 90 on the afternoon.
"I'm happy with my performance in the first tournament of the season," Danzi said. "Shooting a 76 at Yale, given the weather conditions, is a good start to my final golf season."
Yet, the veteran co-Captain was quick to note that putting proved to be a source of difficulty for both he and the rest of the team and will therefore be the team's main focus in preparation for the coming weekend's Ivy Championship.
In regards to the Ivies, the team remains optimistic.
"I can't wait to get Mackenzie [Hurd] back, and together hopefully lead the team to the Ivy Championship that we have dreamed about for four years," Danzi said. "Win or lose I know we will work hard and have a fun time trying."