At the Newport Invitational last weekend, Andover Golf tied for fourth out of nine teams with archrivals Exeter and Loomis.
Seven points separated Andover and the two second place winners, Tabor and Taft. Andover overtook Tabor (7-5) in its first match of the season, but was unable to replicate the success at Newport.
After taking 5th, 5th and 4th in 2010, 2011 and 2012 respectively, Andover took second last year. Deerfield took the honors in 2013 and once again this year.
Hotchkiss and Salisbury were also in attendance, finishing in the last two places of the tournament.
Tyler Tsay ’15 paced the team, shooting a 76, three points off of the winning score. During last year’s invitational, Tsay boasted an impressive score of 74.
Ellie Blum ’15 and Alexa Tsay ’17 rounded out the top three, coming in with a 85 and 80, respectively.
“It was a really nice course. It was in superb condition, especially for the weather at the time, which was cold and windy,” said David Todd ’16, who shot an 89 while playing in the Number Five spot. “Overall, it is a great opportunity to play against some schools that we don’t always get to play against.”
Rob Devaney ’14 continued his solid play, hitting an 80.
Captain Kavan Canekeratne ’14 previously described the renowned Rhode Island course as the hardest the team will face this season. The site was the host of the first ever U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur Open in 1895, but, for all its prestige, it is not the most favorable to play on.
Located on the water, the course is subject to interfering wind and the conditions of the day added some difficulty.
“It was a difficult day, a little misty, but the scoring conditions were good. Tyler [Tsay] and Alexa [Tsay] played well, but Deerfield was a little too tough,” said Coach Brian Faulk. “We are going to have our hands full this weekend. The Deerfield match is obviously a big match. I’m looking for our best effort of the season. We can do it; they are beatable.”
The team has matches versus Dexter Southfield and Deerfield. Deerfield defeated Andover 9-3 last season, one of the team’s two losses. Andover’s match on Wednesday versus St. Mark’s was canceled due to predicted rain.
