The men's golf team competed Tuesday and Wednesday at the 14th Annual Adams Cup of Newport, placing 15th overall. It was the first time the Bears participated in the prestigious 15-school tournament, which was hosted by the University of Rhode Island at the par-72, 7,244-yard Newport National Golf Club, and they were disappointed with the last-place finish.
"We've had two not-so-good tournaments," said Chris Hoffman '09, referring to the Bears' 13th-place finish at the Hartford Invitational earlier this month. "None of us have played to our expectations."
The Bears shot a team score of 968 (320-321-327), trailing first-place finisher Wichita State University. The Shockers posted a total of 890, besting second-place University of Southern Mississippi by 11. The Golden Eagles finished with a score of 901, while URI and the University of Maryland tied for third with 902 totals.
According to Larry Haertel '08, the course conditions posed a challenge to the Bears.
"It was windy out there, and the course was setup pretty tough," he said.
Haertel finished with Brown's best individual score, 233 overall (79-76-78), for 42nd place. Nevertheless, he was not satisfied with his performance.
"I definitely could have played a little better," he said. "I need to improve my putting a little bit."
Hoffman finished behind Haertel with a score of 241 (78-82-81) to place 60th individually.
"My putting the past couple of days has been horrendous," he said. "I was not making four-foot putts and not making longer putts."
John Giannuzzi '10, Ryan Larson '08, and Michael Amato '11 rounded out the Bears' performance. Giannuzzi recorded a score of 247 (81-81-86), Larson finished with a score of 249 (83-82-84), and Amato shot a 259 (87-88-84).
"I don't think the team played as well as we're capable of," Haertel said.
According to Hoffman, the Bears' disappointing results so far this season have come as a surprise. "We thought we'd come out swinging strong," he said. "Unfortunately, we haven't been playing well."
The Bears will compete next on Oct. 6 and Oct. 7 in the MacDonald Cup at Yale University, and they hope to make a stronger showing there.
"All...of us know what we have to work on in the next 10 days," Hoffman said.
