Coached by Dave Paterson, the golf team has won five Ivy League titles in the last 12 years. However, the most recent title was in 1991, and the current team is hungry for victory. Led by captain Brian Pierce, SM '96, and Ken Rizvi, DC '97, the team is strong and deep this year. Only five players can make the traveling team, and the competition for those spots pushes everybody to improve. Right now, the Elis' most consistent performer has been Rizvi. A first team All-Ivy selection last year, Rizvi finished fifth at the Ivy League Championships last spring with a three-round score of 232. The team is counting on Rizvi to continue his stellar play.
This year's team is very young as well as very deep. Of the 13 players on the roster, there are five freshmen, two sophomores, and four juniors in addition to Pierce and senior Steve Huffaker, ES '96. Pierce, who thinks the freshmen are "very strong," expects them to contribute immediately, as does Paterson.
The freshmen have already begun to meet those expectations. This past weekend, Yale hosted 27 teams and 130 players in the Yale Men's Fall Intercollegiate Tournament. The tournament was won by Nevada-Reno. Although Pierce termed the results "disappointing," there were some bright spots. Yale's second team scored very well, led by freshmen Nate Bohn, SY '99, and David Bercovich, ES '99.
The second team placed 13th overall, while the first team placed 11th. This weekend, the team will travel to Durham, N.H. to compete in a tournament at UNH. "We expect the main competition to come from URI (University of Rhode Island), UConn, and maybe Hartford, but we definitely have a good shot at it," Paterson said.
This year's squad is characterized by high expectations. "The team is strong this year. We're looking to win the Ivy League title, and maybe contend for a NCAA bid as well," Pierce said.
-- Neel Gandhi
Copyright 1995, The Yale Herald, Inc. All rights reserved.
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