Elis look for momentum in Yale Spring Opener

This weekend the Yale men's golf team will play host to Ivy League rivals Dartmouth, Harvard, and Columbia, along with a handful of local schools such as Hartford, Fairfield, and the University of New Haven. The Spring Opener has traditionally produced excellent play, low scores, and down-to-the-wire finishes. Last year at the Spring Opener, in a snow-shortened 18-hole tournament, the Bulldogs edged out rival Hartford to take the team crown, and Captain Peter Schumacher, CC '01, placed second by a single, agonizing stroke.

This year's team looks stronger after having lost only Schumacher and brought in four freshmen who can post low scores. At the Treasure Coast Invitational over spring break, the team shot 297-303 for a solid second place finish, and Neel Williams, BR '04, shot an impressive one under par (72-71—143) for a second place finish.

Williams, Captain Louis Aurelio, MC '01, Eddie Brockner, MC '01, and the other Bulldogs are looking to use their home course advantage as they enter a grueling four-week stretch of one important tournament after another. Next weekend the team will head to New Jersey for the Ivy League Championship, then to the Division Championships, and after that to the Regional Championships, the qualifier for the NCAA tournament.

Due to heavy winter snowfall, the 6,800-yard, par-70 Yale University Golf Course is soggy but playable. If the scattered showers that are predicted for Sun., Apr. 7 hold off, scores are expected to be low.

—Anna Dolinsky

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