Hanover may not be as synonymous with golf as St. Andrews or Augusta, but Dartmouth's golf reputation just improved in a big way this weekend. On Sunday, the men's golf team took second place at the ECAC Championships in Farmington, Conn. They may not be walking away with green jackets, but the five Dartmouth participants this weekend tallied the best 36-hole score for the Big Green in five years, eclipsing eight of the other nine teams competing at Tunxis Plantation Golf Course.
Dartmouth golfers combined for a score of 578 over the two-day tournament, finishing 10 over par for the course. The Big Green fell to Monmouth University by a mere three strokes, but surpassed the two third-place schools -- UConn and Central Connecticut -- by five shots.
September 24, 2000 was the last time a Dartmouth team shot better than 578 for two rounds, when the Big Green took fourth at their own invitational.
Matt Uretsky '07 led the charge for Dartmouth, scoring 143 for the weekend, including a two-under par 69 for his final round. Uretsky's one-over finish was good enough for sixth-place overall in the individual standings.
"Being the low scorer doesn't really mean much as long as we toss five good scores out every day," said Uretsky. "The fact that we had four guys at 147 or under reflects on our team consistency."
Following close behind was the team's co-captain, Chaki Kobayashi '06, who fired a solid 71-73 -- 143 for two-over and 11th place overall. "I hit the ball and putted very well this weekend," said Kobayashi. "In both rounds I had one bad hole that prevented me from posting a very good number."
Anthony Campanile, Monmouth's sophomore standout, recorded a dominant seven-under first round 64, and shot even par the next day. Both his first-round score and overall mark of seven-under were school records.
Jamie Wallace '08 and Alexander Olshonsky '09 went five-over with 147 each. Co-captain Kenan Yount '06 rounded out the top five for the Big Green.
"Jamie struggled a little bit but still came in with two solid scores, as should be expected from the number one guy," said Kobayashi, referring to his sophomore teammate. "Alex played solidy also," continued the team's co-captain.
"Our team is solid through the lineup which makes it easy for each guy to concentrate on taking it low," said Uretksy. Kobayashi agreed, saying, "We are a much better team this year because we have no weak links. Plus, our returning players have gotten even better."
"I felt like we were the best team out there this past weekend, but we just let it slide," said Kobayashi. "Anyone on the team can easily think of four shots he left out there." Uretksy sees much room for improvement, telling fans to "expect lower scores and wins in the future."
Dartmouth continues play next weekend in New Haven, Conn. at Yale's MacDonald Cup invitational. The two-day tournament begins on Oct. 8 and concludes the following afternoon.
