The Amherst men’s golf team will be traveling to North Carolina for spring break to train at Pinehurst Golf Resort in preparation for their upcoming season. The team, led by senior captains, Erik Hansen and Nicholas Koh, have four competitions to look forward to this spring, culminating in the NESCAC Championships at the end of April.
“We will be practicing endlessly to achieve our ulimate goal, winning the NESCAC Championship at Midd. A victory at NESCAC’s could be our ticket to the national championship,” said Liam Fine '17, who is one of three first-years to join the deep Jeff squad this year along with classmates Harrison Marrick and Nick Kafker.
Notably, Fine finished ninth overall at the ECAC New England Div. III Championships to close his collegiate debut fall season. Joining the trio to round out the underclassman is lone sophomore James Line who proved to be a vital component to the team’s success, placing fifth at the NESCAC Fall Championship Qualifier and sixth at the Duke Nelson Tournament in September. Juniors Josh Moser and Jarvis Sill also look to build upon their stellar fall campaigns, where Moser placed fifth at the Trinity Invitational and Sill earned seventh at the Williams Invitational with a two-day total of 161.
“With the implementation of an unheard of physical fitness regime, we intend to take the mantra of the ‘hardest working golf team in Div. III’ to the course and succeed on the level of an extremely dedicated team,” Kafker said.
Their first match of the season is the Westport Hampton Inn Invitational at UMass Dartmouth, where the Jeffs placed third out of 20 teams last year with Sill and Moser both finishing within the top 15 individuals. Until then, the team looks to enjoy their week in North Carolina and begin practicing outside at Hickory Ridge Golf Club once the weather warms up.
“The trip not only provides us with an opportunity to seriously work our games before the season but also fosters a great team bonding experience. Personally, I hope to win our break-long match play tournament, featuring an epic battle against the ultimate juggernaut, our assistant coach, Edward Mills,” Fine commented.
