Men's Golf Poised for PostSeason

Author: Jack Donaldson

After last week's encouraging showing at its own Duke Nelson Invitational, the Middlebury College Men's golf team had an up-and-down week that fortunately does nothing to spoil its championship hopes. On Wednesday, Sept. 17, the Panthers sent several players to Saratoga to play in the Skidmore classic. In a tough field, Middlebury managed a team score of 310 that put it in second place, bested only by the home team. Williams, the Panthers' fiercest rival, finished in third place. Despite its strong finish, Middlebury prepared for the weekend's competition, when it took on the talented NESCAC field at the Williams Invitational.

Much has been made of the bad blood between the Panthers and their purple and gold rivals, but it needs to be stressed.

"When one of our guys is paired up with [a player] from Williams, it is like the Capulets and the Montagues," said Mitch St. Peter, '06.5, referring to a classic rivalry. "We don't even speak to each other."

Needless to say, the stakes were particularly high during the weekend. Adding to the significance of the event was the presence of four other NESCAC schools, including Hamilton, who mercilessly pummeled the field at the Duke Nelson Invitational. Sixteen of the other top New England schools also competed.

Stumbling out of the gate, many of Middlebury's top players played an uncharacteristically poor game. Most of the Panthers, including St. Peter, failed to break 80 for the first day. One highlight was senior Charles Clement's 77.

"I don't know if some of the younger guys were nervous coming out here or what, but it's certainly understandable," noted Clement, who did not place blame on anybody.

Wisely, the Panthers had a team pow-wow on Saturday night to get mentally focused for Sunday's competition.

"We knew we weren't out of it yet, and we wanted everyone to know that we were there for them," said St. Peter of the meeting.

The chat worked, as Middlebury came out refreshed and cocksure for Sunday's matches. Jay "Future" Yonamine '07 recovered from a Saturday 83 and shot a 75. Fellow first-year Chad Bellmare stunned the gallery by shooting ten strokes better on Sunday, finishing at 76. Because of Sunday's good performances, a disastrous outcome was averted, and Middlebury finished in eighth out of 22.

While they missed their chance to again beat Williams, which finished sixth overall, the Panthers will have another chance to do so on a higher stage at the NESCAC Championship on September 28 and 29.