Men's golf reflects on final tourney

By Anthony Powell

When asked about the caliber of the competition the men's golf team faced last weekend at The Prestige at Palm Desert in California, Coach Dave Patterson replied, "Imagine Yale playing in the World Series." While in sunny California, the Bulldogs competed against some of the top golf programs in the country and managed to hold their own on the course.

Yale finished 17th out of the 20 teams at the tournament, which was held at the Desert Willow Golf Course. Washington University, ranked 16th nationally in Golfweek's collegiate rankings, won the tournament. Other top ranked participants included Texas Christian, Stanford, North Carolina, Kansas, Pepperdine, and Oregon, all ranked in the top 50. This was by far the strongest field Yale will face all year, save the NCAA Championship Tournament.

COURTESY SPORTS PUBLICITY After ending the season with a 17th place tournament finish, the Bulldogs look ahead to the spring.

Captain Chris Eckerle, BR '02, finished the strongest among the Elis, shooting one over par at 217. Neel Williams, BR '04, finished second on the Yale roster at six over par, followed by Steve Gray, BK '05, at six over par, and Alex Fulton, TC '04, at 17 over par.

Patterson, for the most part, was "very pleased" with the team's performance, considering the competition. He noted that the Bulldogs matched the final round score of Stanford, a golf powerhouse that has produced greats such as Casey Martin, Notah Begay III, and of course, Tiger Woods.

The golfers, who were perhaps more ambitious going into The Prestige, were not as optimistic about their performance. Eckerle admitted that the team was slightly disappointed with the team's low finish. Many golfers, such as Fulton, had put in much better performances earlier in the fall season.

The conditions at the Desert Willow Golf Course in California are markedly different than the conditions found in New England golf, which could account for the higher scores. While New England courses are relatively short, the Palm Resort course was a long and rolling with many large bunkers. Also, Desert Willow had greens with bermuda grass, in contrast to the bent grass found at Yale and other New England golf courses, something that Gray said caused him trouble in the early rounds.

Another factor contributing to the Bulldogs' play was the long three-week layoff between their tournaments. As many golfers know, the first aspect of the game to go in the wake of a long layoff is the short game. "All of our guys are pretty good ball-strikers," Gray said. "But the short game wasn't there in the early rounds."

While the level of the team's performance at The Prestige may be debatable, the feeling about the Bulldog's upcoming spring season, when the Ivy League Championship will be decided, is fairly unanimous. Eckerle noted that if the Bulldogs play anywhere near their capabilities, they should be able to contend for the Ivy trophy; he said that this year is "the best we've been" in his four years at Yale.

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