Although inclement weather conditions left Hanover dreary and dank, the Dartmouth men's golf team overcame the elements to best 12 other teams at the Dartmouth Invitational this weekend, played at the Hanover Country Club. After ending the first day in fifth place, four strokes off the lead, the team regrouped and used its home-field advantage in the second and final round to take the tournament crown.
James Pleat '13 shot a three-under-par 68 Sunday and then proceeded to win a playoff against Fordham University's Jason Del Rosso to secure the Big Green victory. Fellow teammate Peter Williamson '12 posted a round-best score of 67, four under par.
While the weather was not ideal, the Big Green team is accustomed to playing in the rain, Williamson said.
"It wasn't too bad, it could have been a lot worse," he said. "It was a little annoying to have to take rain clothes on and off every other hole, but we're used to it. The New England weather can be quite rough, but you just have to be ready for anything."
Yale University finished second in the tournament, while Fordham and Boston College finished third and fourth, respectively.
Williamson's second-round score of 67 came a day after he shot a 76, which had him tied for 25th after the first day.
"There wasn't much of a difference in how I played the first and second day," Williamson said. "I should've shot it well both days, but I couldn't get anything in the hole yesterday. Hitting that eagle today definitely helped."
Williamson, who won the Ivy League men's golf championship in April, was not the only bright spot for Dartmouth on Sunday. Pleat displayed some veteran composure in winning the playoff.
"We're both from New Hampshire, so I've played him before in junior tournaments and knew he was great," Williamson said of Pleat. "He showed today he was a great addition to an already great team. It was exciting to see him thrive in that playoff."
Pleat shot seven birdies and one eagle in his two rounds.
While Pleat and Williamson helped the team close out the victory, the team's knowledge of the course contributed to the win, Williamson said.
"This course can definitely be quirky. People can lose shots here and there because they don't know the course the way we do, so I would say we definitely had home-field advantage," he said. "It helped today with the rain being a little bit of a problem."
Dave Putney '10 also had a solid showing this weekend, shooting five over par for the tournament, placing him in the top ten and giving Dartmouth three players in the top ten. Teddy Overton '12 shot a one-over 72 on Sunday to finish the tournament at eight over par, tied for 19th. Co-captain Davis Mullany '11 also finished in the top 40.
Williamson's success comes after his practice was limited this summer because of an injury.
"The injury wasn't that big of a deal, but my practice was also limited because of the weather," he said. "However, I couldn't be happier with how I'm hitting the ball off the tee. The lack of practice has caused my short game to suffer a little bit, so I have to work on that to sharpen it up. Hopefully, these two tournaments will help my confidence and my putting game."
The team will travel to New Haven, Conn., next weekend to play in The MacDonald Cup. The Big Green will look to gain ground over last year's performance when the team placed ninth among fifteen schools.
