Amherst Narrowly Defeats Williams GolfBy Jacob Abrahams
Williams Sports Info
10:22AM / Thursday, April 19, 2012
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MIDDLEFIELD, Conn. — The Ephs 14-year Little Three Championship winning streak ended Wednesday afternoon.
Archrival Amherst defeated Williams by just one point, 6.5 - 5.5. Both teams defeated the host, Wesleyan.
This event was played Ryder Cup style, with the teams competing in an alternate shot format for the morning 18 holes. Afternoon play consists of eight singles matches. Teams began on the Gary Player Course for the alternate-shot portion, and then switched over to the Robert Trent Jones Course for singles.
At the end of alternate shot, Williams trailed the Lord Jeffs by one point, and took all four points from the Cardinals. The sophomore duo of Dylan Dethier and Ross Bowen were able to battle back from an early deficit to earn the victory against their Amherst adversaries. The other sophomore tandem of Cody Semmelrock and Matt McCarron halved their match, giving the Ephs another half point. The team of senior Siwol Chang and junior Alex Xu lost a hard-fought match to the Lord Jeffs, as did the last pairing of sophomore Jake Abrahams and junior Hrishi Srinagesh, who lost a tough one down contest.
Going into singles, the Ephs needed to gain five out of the possible eight points against Amherst to ensure their 15th straight title. With players going out in reverse order, suspense built as the event drew to a close. The Ephs split their first two matches, with Srinagesh losing and Xu coming back from a three-down nine-hole deficit to win two up. Williams then won its next two decisions. The tides turned when Abrahams lost on the 16th hole, and then McCarron the 17th. In its final two matches, Williams could only earn half a point each from Chang and Dethier. This gave the Lord Jeffs a dramatic 6.5-5.5 victory.
The Ephs will get a chance to rebound from the defeat this weekend when they host seven NESCAC programs at the Williams Spring Invitational. The team will look to regain its form at Taconic Golf Club, with tee times set to begin at noon on Saturday.
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