NESCAC Golf Championship Heads to Bowdoin
Two-Time Defending Golf Champion Williams Eyes 10th Crown
HADLEY, Mass. - Williams College, the two-time
defending NESCAC Golf Champions, will look to earn its third
consecutive title and 10th overall this weekend when the Ephs join
the rest of the conference in picturesque Maine for the 2006 NESCAC
Golf Championship. The two-day, 36-hole championship will be hosted
by Bowdoin College at the Brunswick Golf Club in Brunswick. The
first group will tee off on Saturday, Sept. 30, at 10:30 a.m., with
the championship concluding on Sunday, Oct. 1.
Winners of five of the last six NESCAC Golf titles, Williams earned
the 2005 NESCAC Golf crown over Hamilton by seven strokes, the
largest margin of victory since the 2001 championship. The Ephs
will face a stiff challenge to repeat this season, with the loss of
Matt Slovitt to graduation combined with a strong field of teams
that all participated in the Bowdoin Invitational at the Brunswick
Golf Club only a few weeks ago. The leadership of senior Kevin
Kellert (Toms River, N.J.), who finished in a two-way tie for third
at last season’s championship at the Taconic Golf Club, will
play a vital role for Williams, and so far in 2006 he has performed
admirably. Kellert has steadily improved throughout the month of
September, opening the season with an Eph-best two-day total of 155
and finishing in a tie for 12th at the Bowdoin Invitational,
followed by a 15th place showing (151) at the Duke Nelson
Invitational two weeks ago and an eighth place finish (147) at the
Williams Invitational this past weekend. Newcomer Tyler Zara (New
Canaan, Conn.) has also had an impressive September for the Ephs
and will look to improve upon his mark of 161 at the Bowdoin
Invitational this weekend. Zara, a sophomore that did not compete
with Williams last season, recently finished tied for ninth (148)
at the Williams Invitational, helping the Ephs finish fourth
overall in the tournament, the highest finish among NESCAC teams at
the event.
The team that many will be talking about at this year’s
championship will be Hamilton, after the Continentals won the
Bowdoin Invitational on Sept. 9-10 with a team score of 604.
Hamilton, which last won a NESCAC Golf title in 2003, has had some
strong individual performances over the past month. Sophomore Dave
Christie (New Canaan, Conn.) took home medalist honors from the
Bowdoin Invitational after finishing in a two-way tie for first
with a total of 144 and then winning a one-hole playoff. Junior
Mike Hayes (Homer, N.Y.) finished third at the Bowdoin Invitational
with a score of 146 before earning medalist honors at the one-day
Mike Bello Invitational on Sept. 14 and the Duke Nelson
Invitational a few days later, finishing one-under with a score of
141. Both golfers finished among the leaders at last year’s
championship, however the Continentals will need an all-around
strong performance if they wish to win another event at Brunswick
this season.
Looking to improve upon a fourth-place finish at last year’s
championship will be Middlebury. The Panthers were the closest
NESCAC squad to Hamilton at the Bowdoin Invitational earlier this
month, finishing nine strokes back in fourth place. Senior Chad
Bellmare (Bedford, N.Y.) along with junior George Baumann (Mequon,
Wis.) and sophomore Harrison Bane (Marblehead, Mass.) will lead the
charge for the Panthers and their quest to win the NESCAC crown for
the first time since 1999. Bellmare was the top finisher for
Middlebury at the Duke Nelson Invitational (148, T-6), helping his
squad to a fourth-place finish, while Baumann finished fifth at the
Bowdoin Invitational with a score of 151. Bane will look to repeat
his performance from last season’s NESCAC championship, after
he finished second with a score of 149 and earned NESCAC Rookie of
the Year honors.
Other squads to watch at this weekend’s championship include
Trinity and Tufts. The Bantams turned a few heads during last
year’s tournament at Williams after finishing in third place,
the highest finish ever for Trinity at the NESCAC championship.
Senior George Boudria (Mendham, N.J.), who earned NESCAC Player of
the Year last season by medaling at the 2005 championship with a
score of 147, enters the weekend fresh off a 15th-place showing at
the Williams Invitational (150), behind only Kellert and Zara of
Williams among NESCAC participants at the event. Tufts finished
third among NESCAC teams at the Bowdoin Invitational, spurred by
the 10th-place showing of sophomore Pat Sullivan (Bedford, Mass.)
with a score of 154.
Established in 1888, the course now known as the Brunswick Golf
Club is a challenging and well-conditioned 18-hole gem that is
considered by many as one of the best that mid-costal Maine has to
offer. The course was originally only nine holes, designed by the
tandem of John Van Kleek and Wayne Stiles in 1925, the same two
that designed the Taconic Golf Club in Williamstown, Mass. During
the 1960s, the Brunswick Golf Club was extended to 18 holes by the
craftsmanship of Geoffrey Cornish. The two nines feature completely
contrasting styles, with the Cornish front nine being the longer of
the two and having the ability to test every club at a
linksman’s disposal at a par-37. The Van
Kleek/Stiles-designed back nine, a par-35, is a shorter, more open
test with plenty of birdie opportunities. The championship
scorecard for the course is a par-72 that totals 6,543 yards.
Results for the 2006 NESCAC Golf Championship will be available at
the completion of each day at www.nescac.com.
Day One Starting Times - Saturday,
September 30
Wave #1 - 10:30 a.m. - Tufts, Hamilton, Wesleyan
Wave #2 - 11:20 a.m. - Middlebury, Bates, Bowdoin
Wave #3 - 12:10 p.m. - Amherst, Colby, Trinity, Williams
Day Two Starting Times - Sunday, October
1
Wave #1 - 10:30 a.m. - Three teams with highest cumulative scores
from Day One
Wave #2 - 11:20 a.m. - Next three teams with highest cumulative
scores from Day One
Wave #3 - 12:10 a.m. - Remaining four teams with lowest cumulative
scores from Day One
