Aided by the magical play of Nicholas Koh ’08, the Andover Varsity Golf team opened up the season last Wednesday in dominating fashion over both Exeter and Governor’s Academy after a cancellation of last Saturday’s match versus Tabor. The two wins allowed Andover to take a solid lead in the competition for the 2007 Witherspoon Bowl and Lovell Cup. Andover began the day taking on rival Exeter in the first of two match-ups to determine the winner of the Witherspoon Bowl. The Varsity squad won the match-play contest 6-1, with the help of spectacular play from Nicholas Koh ’08. Koh finished the round with an astounding 76, and blew his Exeter opponent out of the water with clutch putting and an effective short game. Captain Evan Harmeling ’07 had a rough opening round, and shot an 86, which was not enough to defeat Exeter’s number one. Harmeling was unable to get into a rhythm, and had trouble finding the greens and sinking putts. Aside from Harmeling, the entire team was able to pull out victories, including new varsity members Mike Sullivan ’08, Jeff Abboud ’08, and Wutae Lee ’10. Sullivan had a particularly impressive day, shooting an 87, and made a crucial 7-foot putt late in his round to secure the Andover victory. Returning members Tanner McNeill ’08 and Kristen Macdonald ’07 also had solid performances, finishing with an 85 and 88, respectively. Andover also began competition for the Lovell Cup last Wednesday, which is a three-way challenge between Andover, Exeter and Governor’s Academy determined by three 18- hole matches, with the top five scores from each team added to the cumulative tally. At the end of the season, the school with the lowest 54-hole match total is awarded the Lovell Cup. Although the teams were unable to finish their rounds, Andover finished the day with a commanding lead of over 30 points. Harmeling and Koh were both very impressed with the play of the bottom of the ladder. “This was [Sullivan, Lee, and Abboud’s] first Varsity match, and I was very impressed with the way they played and handled the pressure,” said Harmeling. Koh was also pleased with the performance from the bottom three: “The bottom of our ladder is very strong this year, and will definitely be a huge asset for us in the future. Our depth will prove vital to our success this season.” Andover will take on Exeter and Governor’s again on May 15 and May 19 to complete these two contests and determine the winners of the Witherspoon Bowl and Lovell Cup. Next week, the squad will take on Belmont Hill School, New Hampton Academy and Holderness in its first home match of the season.
