BRUNSWICK, Maine - The Williams College men's golf team put in an exceptional second-day performance to finish in a first-place tie, taking second place in the tournament via tiebreak, at the Bowdoin Invitational this weekend.
The Ephs and Amherst both finished at 17-under for the tournament, and the first tiebreaker for the tournament championship was the fifth player's score on Sunday, which Amherst won by one stroke.
"Today we showed we are one of the best teams in the Northeast," said Head Coach Josh Hillman. "Posting +6 on a tough day to climb back and tie for first shows real grit."
"Starting three first years on a course they have never seen is also a big hurdle, and our game plan worked. We kept giving ourselves chances to make birdies and a lot of those dropped. I am very proud of the work and effort everyone has put in. We feel that we are improving every day and that we can contend at every event."
Amherst shot +6 on day one and +11 on day two, and Williams did the reverse, the +6 tying for Sunday's best team score.
Several Ephs golfers enjoyed excellent performances, headlined by Jack Estrella, who shot 1-under in Saturday's first round, and +1 in the second round on Sunday, good for an even-par-144 in the tournament and a tie for fourth place overall.
Hunter Justice also had a strong tournament, shooting 73-74 for a 3-over 147. On Sunday, all four scoring golfers were within two strokes of par, with Estrella and Owen Barber shooting 1-over, and Justice and John Pagano at 2-over. Nick Smith helped the team effort with a 5-over-par 77 on Saturday.
Estrella had an eagle and four birdies on Saturday in his 1-under-par round, and on Sunday was nearly flawless, with two birdies and 15 pars.
"Jack continued to play solid golf with another top 5 finish," added Hillman. "Hunter and John also fought to the very end and were able to make some key putts as the tournament neared the end. All five of these guys like to compete and battle, it's great to see and really fun to coach."
The Ephs will be back in action on October 11 and 12 at the Skidmore Invitational in Saratoga Springs.
