WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. - First-year Nick Smith was the standout golfer at the Williams Fall Invitational this weekend at Taconic Golf Club, shooting a 1-under-par 212 over three rounds to claim medalist honors as the Ephs finished second in the 12 team field.
Smith had a 6-under 65 in Saturday's second round, one of the best ever collegiate scores at Taconic, and birdied the 18th hole on Sunday to win the tournament by one stroke.
Williams finished +33 as a team in the tournament, 11 strokes behind Babson in first, as the event featured a new format of two rounds on Saturday and one on Sunday. The Ephs had to battle on Sunday, as Amherst and Hamilton both staged comebacks to draw within a few strokes of the hosts, but Williams held off its NESCAC rivals to take second place.
"The whole team has been playing really solid the past few weeks and we are now starting to put it together," said Head Coach Josh Hillman. "We fought hard, showed real grit and battled to a solid second place finish."
Smith started Saturday with a solid 4-over 75 in his first round, and was 1-under through 13 holes in his second round after starting on the third tee. He then caught fire, with birdies on holes 16 and 17, a par on 18, and then an eagle on hole one and another birdie on two to finish his round at six-under.
The first-year continued his strong play on Sunday, and was tied with Amherst's Thomas Zhang going into the final hole of the weekend. A clutch birdie gave the first-year the victory in just his second collegiate tournament.
Jack Estrella also put in an excellent performance for the Ephs, shooting 71-73-72 for 3-over on the tournament. After a bumpy start to Sunday's round, he closed at -3 on his final 13 holes to wrap up fourth place in the field of 78 golfers.Â
The Ephs had a total of eight golfers competing on the weekend, three as independents, as Hunter Justice, John Pagano, and Owen Barber were the other three scoring players. Will Rich had a great first round on Saturday morning, shooting a 1-under 70 that included an eagle on the 18th.
"Nicky Smith continues to impress me, even as a freshman he showed he's mature enough to compete with the best in the Northeast," said Hillman. "This was a big, big win for him. Jack Estrella and Hunter Justice also stepped up and posted solid rounds this weekend. Jack was well over par early and battled back to post 72 and solidify second place."
Williams will be back in action next weekend at the Bowdoin Invitational in Brunswick, Maine.
