Ephs head to Connecticut for NESCAC Golf Championships and NCAA Tourney berth

Rick Pohle's Williams men's golf team will head to Hartford, Conn., this weekend to play a two-day 36-hole NESCAC Championship Tournament with host Trinity, Hamilton and Middlebury.

The Championship will be played at the Shuttle Meadow Country Club in Kensington, Conn. The first group will tee off on Saturday, April 26, at 12:15 p.m. with the championship concluding on Sunday, April 27.

Founded by a group of local industrialists in 1917, the Shuttle Meadow Country Club is located less than 15 miles southwest of downtown Hartford in Kensington, Conn. The 18-hole course was designed by Willie Park, Jr., a two-time British Open Champion (1887, 1889) and renowned Scottish architect with over 170 designs to his credit throughout Europe, Canada, and the United States. The course puts shot accuracy at a premium, featuring relatively flat fairways with greens that are undulating and fast. The scorecard for the course, which has a rating of 70.4 and a slope rating of 122, is a par-71 that totals 6,260 yards.

Trinity is serving as the host this weekend by virtue of winning the two-day NESCAC Golf Championship Qualifier at The Skenandoa Club in Clinton, NY, last fall. Trinity topped the field with a team score of 606, followed by Middlebury (613), Williams (614) and Hamilton (616).

In the fall the Ephs were led by a trio of first years -- Jake Wagner who tied for fourth, John Killea (tied for 8th) and Bob Camp (12th). Senior co-captain Brendan Conley finished 26th and junior Tyler Zara was 41st.

The Eph lineup this weekend in Connecticut will again feature three first years – Wagner, Killea and Brendan Murray. Brendan Conley and junior Matt Felser will complete the lineup.

"The lineup for this weekend is the result of a conversation between myself and the captains last night after reviewing recent performances," stated Pohle. "[Matt] Felser is a true competitor in whatever he does who got off to a rough start in the spring after spending the fall semester in Argentina, but he has emerged of late. We all know what he is capable of."

"We're going to the Championship with an open mind," said Pohle. "We're playing well right now so we just want to focus on playing the best we can. I think we have as good a chance as any of the teams to win."
 
The Ephs are looking to win their sixth NESCAC title of the decade and 10th overall title and make their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2005.