SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — Sophomore Nick Smith finished the first two rounds of the Skidmore Fall Invitational with a 1-over 145 to help the Williams men's golf team end the day tied for ninth with Hobart in the 21-team field at 23-over par (599). New York University sits atop the leader board with a 3-under 573 while Middlebury and Amherst are in second and third place six and 10 strokes back, respectively.
With the shotgun start in both rounds, Smith had the unfortunate task of starting on what turned out to be the most difficult hole of the 7,145-yard, par-72 Saratoga Spa Golf Course, the 211-yard, par-3 11th. Although he took a bogey to start his day, he rallied for four birdies — three on his final eight holes — to finish the first round with a 71 (-1). His second round began the same (bogey on 11), and Smith alternated bogeys and birdies on his first five holes before finding consistency by making par on 12 of his last 13 holes to shoot a 2-over 74, leaving him tied for 13th overall with his 145.
First-year Charles Nevin turned in two essentially identical rounds with three birdies, 10 pars, four bogeys and a double each 18 to finish the day at 6-over par (150) in a tie for 45th in the 112-player field.
Like Smith and Nevin, sophomore Owen Barber sank six birdies in his 36 holes, two in the first round and four in the second. The difference in birdies was the difference in his scores, carding a 77-75—152 (+8), putting him in a tie with senior teammate Alex Moller. The co-captain had two birdies in each of his rounds today to go with a total of 23 pars.
After a rough first round, senior Peter Aznar-Klein recovered to shoot a 4-over 76 in his second tour of the course.
Six players in the tournament finished the day under par, led by Endicott's Myles O'Quinn at 5-under. Both Amherst's Andre Zhang and Roger Williams' Max St. Aubin are just a stroke behind with 18 holes to be played.
The invitational concludes on Sunday with the third and final round teeing off at 8 a.m. with a shotgun start.
