Men's and Women's Golf Take on NESCAC Rivals in Weekend of Tournaments

Over the weekend, the Amherst men’s and women’s golf teams both competed in the NESCAC #1 tournament. On Sunday, April 25, the women’s team also faced rival Williams at the Taconic Golf Club.

On Saturday, April 24, the women’s team finished third out of five at NESCAC #1, a mere four strokes behind first place Williams and one behind second place Hamilton. Katie Mina Lee ’22 and Jenny Hua ’24 tied for fourth place — and top of the Mammoths’ scorecard — with scores of 80 (+8).

Isabelle Ouyang ’21 and Priya Bakshi ’24 ended the event close behind with ninth and 12th place finishes, and scores of 81 (+9) and 82 (+10), respectively. Mehr Luthra ’24 finished 17th with a score of 87 (+15).

The women’s team then travelled to Williamstown to face the Ephs on Sunday, concluding their weekend play with a loss — though behind by only eight strokes. 

Bakshi led for the Mammoths, tying for first place with the Ephs’ Tianyi Zhuang, followed by Ouyang (third), Hua (ninth), Lee (11th) and Luthra (13th). 

The men’s team finished Sunday’s NESCAC #1 event at the bottom of the scorecard — with a 339 compared to Tufts’ leading 300.

Tommy Whitley ’24 extended his streak of strong performances, once more finishing as top scorer for the Mammoths with a 74 (+2) and placing fourth overall. 

Michael Bakshandeh ’21 shot an 86 (+14) and finished 34th overall with Ben Byman ’24 close behind with a 37th place finish.

At 90 (+18), Jay Lassiter ’24 had the fourth-best score among the Mammoths, while Paul Griessel ’21 finished only six strokes behind.

Owing to strong showings this weekend, both Whitley and Hua are in contention for NESCAC Rookie of the Year honors — awarded to the first year who achieves the lowest cumulative 36-hole score from the NESCAC #1 and NESCAC #2 events.

This year’s league is not without its adjustments, as with many other sports this spring. Instead of the top four teams in the conference competing for the championship, this year’s NESCAC champions will be the teams with the lowest cumulative score from the NESCAC #1 and NESCAC #2 events.