The NCAA Division I Golf Committee chose Williamson to compete at Regionals as an individual since Dartmouth failed to qualify as a team for the event. Williamson was the only male Ivy League golfer chosen by the committee to contend as an individual competitor.
Williamson said that even though he is proud of his performance, he wished he could have prepared more for the competition.
"It's difficult to prepare for such an event with schoolwork limiting practice time, but I entered the event knowing I could compete if I played well," he said. "My game wasn't refined like it usually is in the middle of the summer, but I mentally prepared the best I could. Confidence in yourself goes a long way, even when you aren't playing your best."
This season was a resounding success for Williamson, who won his second Ivy League title in three years and was named Ivy Player of the Year for the second time and First Team All-Ivy for the third year in a row.
The NCAA East Regional opened on Thursday with Williamson shooting a two-over par 74, ending the first day in 14th place overall, despite starting with a bit of a hitch.
Williamson notched a par on the opening three holes of the tournament before struggling on the fourth hole with a double bogey. He overcame this initial hurdle by performing consistently for the rest of the day, shooting par on 11 of the remaining 14 holes.
After the second day of the tournament, Williamson saw himself climbing up the leaderboard to 12th place with a second round score of 73, one stroke over par marking an important improvement from his first-day score.
"Knowing where to miss was key," he said. "My game wasn't as sharp as it could be, so missing on the correct side proved valuable every round. Reading greens and knowing general undulations of the course became easier over time as well."
Although he finished the second day with a better overall score, Williamson struggled in the front nine, shooting three bogeys on holes one through five. He was again able to recover throughout the day, finishing the day on a high note with a birdie on the day's last hole the course's longest at 599 yards.
On the final day of NCAA Regionals, Williamson slid up two more spots on the leaderboard into a tie for 10th place.
Williamson shaved one stroke off of his score to finish his round with an even 72 for a total score of 219, finishing nine strokes behind sophomore Abraham Ancer of the University of Oklahoma, the Regional Champion, who finished at six under par at 210.
Williamson's performance, however, was not quite what he needed to qualify for the NCAA National tournament, as he was seven strokes back from the 212 cutoff.
"I'm a competitive person, and I definitely feel like I have the ability to beat anyone in the country," he said. "I think beating the 10th-ranked player in the country last week might prove the legitimacy of that statement. With that being said, I would think positively about the state of my game, and be thankful for a healthy spring season."
Williamson added that there is still a great deal of room for improvement next season.
"My iron game was atrocious," he said. "I think a cat could have pawed the ball closer to the hole on a few shots. It's always been the most inconsistent part of my game, so improving iron play would allow me to shoot lower scores more often."
With the 2011 season behind him, Williamson has positioned himself to continue to grow and improve his game for another try at the NCAA National tournament, he said.
"I'd love to play as a team at Regionals," he said. "I had fun with the [Yale University] team this year, but obviously the feeling is a little bittersweet. Individually, I will strive to win the National Championship. It's a tough task, but I feel that it's possible if I play well next spring."
