Men's golfer James Pleat '13 has competed at a consistently high level since he arrived at Dartmouth in 2009. But playing in the shadow of teammate Peter Williamson '12, who has been the Ivy League's best golfer over the past four seasons, Pleat has taken a relative backseat role on the team up until now, that is.
Currently in his third season, Pleat appears poised to fill the upcoming leadership void when Williamson graduates at the end of the spring season.
Pleat comes from a family of golfers. His father played as an amateur across New England, and his uncle works as a golf course professional. Pleat said it is only natural that he developed an affinity for the sport.
"When I was little, I used to watch my dad play in tournaments," Pleat said. "That, coupled with having a golf course a few minutes from my house, really set the stage for my future in golf."
Pleat, who is from Nashua, N.H., began playing competitive golf as a 10-year-old member of the New Hampshire Junior Tour. He excelled in high school, winning the New Hampshire Junior Player of the Year award his senior season.
"In high school, golf was a blast," Pleat said. "We had a great group of guys who loved to play golf and spend time with each other on road trips to tournaments. And we won. I wanted more of that in college."
The transition from high school to college-level competition is often a difficult one, however. Of the players on his high school team, which placed fifth at the New Hampshire State tournament his senior year, Pleat is the only one currently playing golf at the Division-1 level.
"When I was applying to colleges, I knew I wanted to play varsity golf," Pleat said. "Dartmouth offered the unique opportunity to play Division-1 golf only an hour and a half from my house, and still get an amazing education. It was the perfect fit."
Dartmouth men's golf coach Richard Parker said he "was very thankful" when Pleat matriculated at Dartmouth and decided to join the team.
"He's a great kid from a great family of golfers," Parker said. "And I knew he'd be valuable to our program."
Pleat's Dartmouth golf career got off to a hot start. As a freshman, he narrowly beat Williamson to win the Dartmouth Invitational, helping the Big Green to an overall first place finish.
"Pete is the best player in the Ivies, and any time you can keep up with him let alone beat him is a good day," Pleat said. "Plus, we won at home, which really topped it off."
Since then, Pleat has been a dependable complement to the dominant Williamson, consistently finishing near the top of the leader board.
"James hits the ball better than anyone," Williamson said. "His short game is more variable, but when he putts and chips well, his scores reflect his great potential."
As if to stress the compatible nature of their skills, Williamson added that his own short game is a strength that often contributes to high team scores.
"If we teamed up, we could be a formidable duo," he said.
While golf is in many ways an individual game, collegiate golf's team nature makes camaraderie a valuable commodity. Williamson said Pleat "is that person that everyone loves."
"He's about as nice as a guy can get," Williamson said. "He has an unbelievably honest and authentic personality."
Pleat added that Dartmouth golf is a uniquely cohesive squad.
"When we're at tournaments, you can tell we're having more fun than all the other teams there," he said. "The way we joke around with our coach, the way we sing along to the radio in the Vox vans on the way to tournaments it's just a big group of friends having a blast."
Regarding Williamson's impending June departure from the Big Green, Parker said he is cautiously optimistic about Pleat taking over from Williamson as the team's leader.
"James asks too many foolish questions," Parker said, laughing. "But he's a kid with a great sense of humor and an attitude that will make him a great mentor for our younger players. He'll be sitting in the front-right seat in the van."
Williamson said he trusts Pleat to guide the team to future success.
"James has become so mature since he arrived at Dartmouth," Williamson said. "He's a tough critic of himself, he's smart and he's open to try new shots. He'll take on a big leadership role next year."
