A third-place conclusion at the Ivy/Patriot League Challenge Sunday, May 2 brought a solid finish to an up-and-down year for the men's golf team. In a combined effort to combat the sub-par play of the spring season and to honor senior captain Jeremiah Daly's commitment to the team, the Big Green compiled a score of 314, matching Harvard, and giving them a total two-day score of 643. Army went on to win the tournament that was located in Somers Point, N.J., with Bucknell finishing second.
Daly commented on the Big Green performance by saying, "Chaki Kobayashi '06 had a great second round of 72 which really saved us as the rest of us were stuck in mediocrity. It was also great to get Stephen Reyes '07 some tournament experience as he has potential which will help the team in the future."
Mark Christman '06 added, "Our strong finish was a testament to our strength as a team. We did not individually have a great tournament, but we all made smart decisions and managed our games well enough to grab third place."
This year contained its fair share of high and low points. For example, fall play was quite strong, but with no outside play in Hanover, the team failed to bring its superb play from the spring trip to Scotland to the spring tournaments this season.
Kobayashi remarked, "The highlights of the year did not come during tournaments, unfortunately. The highlights for us were playing some really great golf courses in preparation for the season, starting with many great courses in Scotland, and capping off with Merion and Stonewall. Although we did not play very well this spring, we all had a great time."
What looks most promising for this team is the future. With a great recruiting class coming in, next year should be quite a show.
Daly looked to next year's squad, saying, "The team will be young next year and will be led by the four other guys who played this week. They will combine with three freshmen to form a formidable squad. Hard work through the summer will be key for them. If everyone comes into fall preseason playing well, they will be quite good."
The future looks bright for the men's golf team.
