As Tiger Woods claimed his fourth straight major title this past Sunday at Augusta National, a completely different golf tournament was wrapping up in Connecticut. Television towers and huge galleries were absent from this collegiate showcase. The story of the 2001 Yale Spring Opener was not the warm weather, which accompanied The Masters in Georgia. Nor was it the eye-popping low scores, posted by Augusta’s seasoned professionals.
No, this competition was anything but pleasurable as members of the Boston University golf team stepped to the first tee with the mercury stuck on 39. The Golf Course at Yale offered more than a hefty challenge for the Terriers who were smelling the freshly cut tournament grass for the first time in the new year.
Though the cold, raw temperatures meant for inflated scores from the entire field, it was especially tough for BU golfers to sign their scorecards.
“We’re not happy with the scores, but you can’t blame the weather,” said BU coach Gary Skrinar. “A lot of teams have played a southern schedule. It was our first time out on the course and it showed.”
Boston University shot a combined 687 for the two weekend days, well behind Army, which won the tournament. The Cadets turned in a collaborative 603-stroke effort. Yale University and Dartmouth College rounded out the top three of the 21-team field.
BU was led by senior Mike O’Donnell who shot an 85 on Saturday, but came back with an 80 on Sunday.
“[He] struck the ball great,” said fellow senior Tanner Sloan. “He could have posted two really low numbers if he had the putter going.”
“[O’Donnell] ended the fall season on a good note,” Skrinar said. “Some guys who didn’t play well this weekend had good matches in the fall.”
The Boston University golf season spans both the fall and spring, with the latter being a much-abbreviated version.
Sloan, the team’s captain, blamed numerous things for the slow opening to BU’s spring season.
“We weren’t prepped as well as we would have liked to have been, and the weather always plays a factor. Everyone felt like they should have played better. We only had three or four days to practice for this tournament,” Sloan said. “It was one of the poorest performances of the last few years.”
“Hopefully the weather will get warmer, and we can get some practice and go from there,” Skrinar said.
The coach was positive when looking ahead to a match next week against the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Endicott College. He said he doesn’t think those teams will give the Terriers much trouble.
“[I] didn’t play as well as I would have hoped for being a senior,” Sloan said about his play this weekend. “But this is the season opener, so I am optimistic about the rest of the year. … We need a little practice to get everyone back in the groove to put up better numbers.”
Sloan shot a combined 148 for the two-day event.
“We have a lot of talented players who didn’t even get a chance to [play],” Sloan said. “We are looking forward to the America East and Division I Championships.”
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