Ephs capture Spartan Invitational

Rick Pohle's Williams men's golf team took top honors in the 5-team Castleton State (VT) Spartan Invitational this afternoon at the Rutland Country Club on the strength of 76s by junior Tylar Zara and first years Bob Camp and Drew Murray. The Ephs won with a score of 306. Host Castleton State was second (314).

Junior Rahul Bahl and first year Jake Wagner both posted 78s to complete the Eph scoring on the day.

"It was a tricky course and I was impressed how our players handled it as none of them had ever played here before," said Pohle. "The course was designed by the same architects who designed Taconic -- Wayne Stiles and John Van Kleek --  so the greens were fast and deceiving. You did not want to be above the pin."

NESCAC Golf Championship Qualifier this weekend

Next up for the Ephs is the NESCAC Golf Championship Qualifier. The two-day, 36-hole qualifying event will be hosted by Hamilton College at the Skenandoa Club in Clinton, N.Y., with the top four teams advancing to the championship round in the spring. The first group will tee off on Saturday, Sept. 29, at 11:00 a.m., and the qualifier will conclude on Sunday, Sept. 30.

The format for the NESCAC Golf Championship has changed for 2007-08. Beginning in 1994, all 10 NESCAC teams competed for the conference crown over one weekend in the fall and the team with the lowest score earned the championship. This year, the four teams with the lowest score during the fall event will qualify for a championship round to be held during the last weekend in April, with the team that finishes the fall qualifier with the lowest score earning the right to host the two-day spring championship. The team that wins the championship round in April will receive the conference’s automatic bid to the 2008 NCAA Golf Tournament in May.

The Ephs will be looking improve upon last year's third place finish at NESCACs when they posted a one-shot lead after day one and faltered on day two.