Ephs head to Middlebury for NESCAC Golf Championship

HADLEY, Mass. – Williams College men's golf coach Rick Pohle has selected four of the five golfers to compete this weekend for the Ephs at the 2009 NESCAC Golf Championship to be hosted by Middlebury College. The fifth Eph participant will be named Thursday afternoon or Friday as team qualifying is still being held.

The Ralph Myhre Golf Course in Middlebury, Vt. will be the site of the two-day 36-hole championship this weekend. The first group will tee off at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 25, with the final round getting underway on Sunday, April 26 at 10:00 a.m.

"There was some talk that maybe the event would be moved to a neutral site, but the Ralph Myhre course is in good condition and everyone felt that it would be better to play on a course that all of the players were familiar with, so I don't see the course as being a big issue," said Pohle. "I think all the players are just going to be happy to not be playing in rain suits, sweaters, jackets and be able to wear shorts."

Hamilton, Middlebury, Trinity and Williams, the same four teams that competed for the 2008 NESCAC title won by the Ephs, return after qualifying in the fall portion of the season. Middlebury put its home course to good use back in September during the 2008 NESCAC Fall Qualifier, as the Panthers not only hosted the event but also won by shooting a two-day total of 593, just one stroke ahead of second-place Trinity.

Trinity is the only one of the four teams playing this weekend that has not taken home a NESCAC Championship, yet. "Trinity appears to be the best team right now, but any one of these teams is capable of winning," commented Pohle. "Middlebury is a good team and they will have the advantage of playing on their home course and Hamilton is always a solid program."

"With a short spring season it's hard to find the five players who are playing the best right now," noted Pohle. Last weekend's results and a round on Wednesday helped Pohle to get four names on his lineup card. Two seniors – captains Matt Felser and Tyler Zara along with sophomores Bob Camp and Jake Wagner are headed to Middlebury. "We need to see a couple more performances to see who the fifth player will be," said Pohle. The Ephs will be gunning a for a conference-best 11th overall title and hope to add a successful defense of their 2008 NESCAC Championship and earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

"If we play to our capabilities and stay close on day one we will have a great shot on day two," said Pohle. A year ago the Ephs opened up with a 12-shot lead on the first day and ended up winning by 13 shots.