Bethpage blues: Yale loses Ivies in tiebreaker

JULIA TIERNAN/YH Despite the efforts of Peter Schumacher, CC '00, and the rest of the Elis, men's golf lost the Ivy title by a tiebreaker.

In basketball, the scores of all five players on a team count in every game. In golf, the fifth man's tally only counts in tied matches. For the men's golf team, the Ivy League title came down to the scores of the fifth men.

The Yale squad entered the Ivy championships at the Bethpage Golf Course in Bethpage, NY with high expectations. The team had been steadily improving in practice rounds and was one of the favorites to take the Ivy crown. The tournament began auspiciously, with Yale playing some of its best golf over the first 36 holes. But the Columbia team was having an incredible tournament. "We played very well, but when we looked at the scoreboard after the round, we were behind two strokes," Peter Schumacher, CC '00, said.

The following day, the Bulldogs followed up with even stronger play and moved ahead of Columbia by two strokes. At that point, Yale was confident in its ability to take the title. "We knew that if we played up to our potential, we'd win," Schumacher said. The Elis continued to golf well on the final day, finishing with a score that would have easily won the tournament in previous years, but this year left them tied with the upstart Lions. Yale lost the match of cards when Columbia's fifth player finished 21 strokes better than Yale's fifth--captain Gary Benerofe, JE '99, who shot a 35- over par 245 (83-78-84). "Columbia played way over their heads. Our score was good enough to win," Schumacher said.

"It was disappointing. We all played pretty well and we deserved [to win]," Chris Eckerle, BR '02, said. Eckerle played a strong, consistent three round of golf, recording a 217 (70-74-73) and taking first place overall, two strokes ahead of his nearest competitor. He birdied the last two holes to pull away. Eddie Brockner, MC '01, who placed fourth with a 220 (75-72-73), and Nate Bohn, SY '99, who placed seventh with a 221 (74-73-74), joined Eckerle on the All-Ivy team. Schumacher, an all-Ivy selection the past two years, rounded out Yale's top four with a 224 (75-72-77).

The Elis' performance at the Ivy League tournament should give them a boost going into their next tournament, the New England Golf Tournament held at the Sterling Golf Club in Worcester, Mass. A win there would move the Bulldogs into the top three in District One and earn them a berth in the Eastern Regionals, a tournament they have not qualified for since 1997. "We can't catch Rhode Island, but we really need to beat UConn and Central Connecticut State," Schumacher said. The Rams have been the region's top team all year, and the Bulldogs have little hope of closing the large margin of qualifying points the Rams have built. But the Elis think that if they can qualify for regionals, they can knock off Rhode Island. "We'd like to beat Rhode Island and if we play well, we can," Schumacher said. Thus, the NCAA championships remain a distant possibility. "It's a long shot, but if we're on top of our game, we have a chance," Eckerle said.

Surprisingly, the team began the season cold, finishing 11th at the UNC-Greensboro Spartan Classic on Mon., Apr. 5 and Tues., Apr. 6. Eckerle and Schumacher showed some early promise, however, both placing in the top 40. At the Yale Invitational on Sat., Apr. 10 and Sun., Apr.11, Yale's top team finished fifth and its second team finished a surprising fourth behind American, Connecticut, and Providence. The loss to UConn was critical, as it put the Bulldogs in their current underdog position going into the New England competition. "UConn is now the favorite," Eckerle said.

Still, Yale will remain a contender in the coming years. "I think we'll be strong next fall and for years to come," Eckerle said. Eckerle and Brockner will anchor a young squad, which will lose Bohn, Benerofe, and Scott Brinker, JE '99--a three year varsity player and 1998 all-Ivy selection who sat out this spring after he broke his arm during the offseason. But the team does not want to go out thinking about next year. The NCAA tournament could still lie ahead. Rivals UConn and Rhode Island still must be defeated. But it's going to take four great scores to do that--maybe even five.

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