The Dartmouth men's golf team ended its season on a bit of a down note over the weekend. The Big Green took third place at the University of Rhode Island Invitational Tournament despite lackluster play. The tournament did not provide the kind of storybook ending graduating captains Kenan Yount '06 and Chaki Kobayashi '06 might have hoped for.
Dartmouth jumped out to the lead after day one of the two-day tourney, despite a less than stellar opening round of 311. Day two was a disaster for the team, however. Almost no one played well, winds pushed scores even higher and the team was lucky to fall back only two spots.
"The second day was one of the worst for our team of the year," said Jamie Wallace '08, who finished second overall at 149.
Many of the team's normally low-scoring players had scores of 80 or more. Stephen Reyes '07 shot 81-80-161. Others had solid first days, but were considerably less productive on their second. Matt Uretsky '07 opened with a 76, but ended up tied with Reyes at 161 after an 85. Kobayashi shot 77-83-160.
"We played terrible and somehow finished third," Yount said. "Given our strong finish despite how terribly we played, I think it will speak to how far the program has come and how far it has the potential to go."
Yount, usually a consistent contributor, struggled all weekend as he finished at 86-84-170.
"[It was the] second-worst performance of my college career and my worst performance since fall 2003," Yount said. "Not the way I wanted to go out in my last competition for the Big Green."
Despite the disappointment the team felt at the finish, that the Big Green bested nine of the 12 schools at the Invitational speaks to the team's potential.
"We had four seconds and one third [tournament finish]," Yount said. "I think all of the New England teams have been stunned by our improvement. We were always in the hunt at every tournament, and we're a force to be reckoned with."
Binghamton University took first place at the Invitational with a score of 630.
Wallace's consistent performances this season bode well for the continued success of the program. Additionally, Alex Abate '09, Alex Olshonsky '09 and Rob Henley '09 each played his way into a number of matches this year, posting solid scores while gaining valuable experience.
"We had a very successful fall and a somewhat disappointing spring," Wallace said. "Overall though, it was much better than last year and we had an awesome time this year."
Emotions ran high for the team's two senior captains Kobayashi and Yount as they played in the last tournament of their collegiate careers.
"It's a little sad, [the golf team] has been part of my life for four years, and it's kind of weird thinking how it's not going to be there once I graduate," Kobayashi said. "I'll miss hanging out with the team and talking about golf ... We've always had a great team."
Yount expressed similar sentiments.
"My best memories from college are from my four years with these guys and it's profoundly shaped my college experience at Dartmouth," he said. "They've been my best friends...When I was walking up the 18th hole on Sunday, that's what was going through my mind -- not how miserably I was playing. It was pretty emotional for me."
After graduation, Kobayashi plans to take a job at a law firm either in Conneticut or New York. He plans to attend law school. Next fall Yount will join the University of Virginia School of Medicine's class of 2010.
