MIDDLEBURY, Vt. — The Williams College men's golf team shaved 11 strokes off its first-round performance, moving up four spots in the standings to finish 10th out of 20 teams with a 623 (+55) at the Duke Nelson Invitational hosted by Middlebury College. Senior Owen Nielsen paced the Ephs over the 18 holes with a 4-over 75 to help them overtake Bates, Hamilton, Trinity and Endicott.
The host Panthers took the team title with a two-round total 594 (+26), three strokes ahead of Skidmore and nine ahead of Amherst on the 6,530-yard, par-71 Ralph Myhre Golf Course.
Nielsen, one of Williams' co-captains, started the day strong, playing his first nine holes at 2-under par with a pair of birdies. He fell back a bit on the final nine, leaving him at 14-over (156) for the tournament, tied for 46th in the 104-player field.
The Ephs' leader after the first round, fellow senior co-captain Alex Moller, had a birdie in his round of 77 (+6). That left him with a two-day total of 154, the lowest Williams score of the tournament that put him in a tie for 27th.
Sophomore Nick Smith split the difference between the two seniors, caring a 5-over 76 with a pair of birdies and a dozen pars to his credit, leaving him one stroke behind Nielsen in a tie for 53rd. And first-year Charles Nevin matched Nielsen's tournament total by equaling his first round score of 78 (+7) thanks to a birdie and nine pars.Â
Sophomores Owen Barber and Aydin Aly Ajani — the latter playing as an individual — both shaved strokes from their first-round effort, carding a 10-over 81 and 13-over 84, respectively.
"Today was a better day," said Williams Head Coach Josh Hillman, "but still not even close to our potential. This week we will continue to knock the rust off and build confidence. We have a lot of little things to tighten up , and that takes time. Being home all this week and hosting next weekend will do us a lot of good."
Amherst's Andre Zhang, who began the day in sixth place, claimed medalist honors at 1-over par (143) with Tufts' Jason Zawtocki right on his heels at 2-over.
The Ephs will play the role of host next week for the Williams Fall Invitational at Taconic Golf Club. The first of two rounds will be played on Saturday.
