Golf: D’Amato takes team’s 1st individual title since 2007

The men’s golf team walked away from Shelter Harbor Golf Club this weekend with a solid fourth-place finish out of 15 teams. But it was junior Bernie D’Amato who stole the spotlight on Sunday afternoon by wining a pressure-filled playoff against an Ivy League rival to take first place overall.

D’Amato finished the tournament at 143, tied with Dartmouth senior and defending Ivy League champion Peter Williamson after two rounds.

“I knew I shot a pretty good score,” said D’Amato. “People were coming in, and Peter Williamson shot 71 to tie me. He is a terrific player.” And so the two competitors went to the first hole to battle it out for individual honors.

It was a par-5, and D’Amato hit his drive down the middle while Williamson pulled his slightly to the left. D’Amato hit a 3-wood about 50 yards short of the green while Williamson was forced to punch out. D’Amato’s third shot ended 20 feet from the hole, and Williamson snuck a 200-yard approach on the front of the green. After Williamson and D’Amato both lagged to about five feet, D’Amato was able to sink the winning putt after Williamson just narrowly missed his.

D’Amato’s performance won him his first individual medalist honor and the first for the men’s team in four years.

Princeton went into Sunday’s round tied for eighth place. But with strong performances from D’Amato (71-72), senior Evan Harmeling (77-75) and sophomore Greg Jarmas (80-72), the Tigers were able to cut their deficit in half by the end of the day and finish 12 strokes behind first-place Dartmouth with a combined total of 38 over par.

“The team came back very strong,” D’Amato said. “I think we definitely ended the season on a high note with everyone playing solid under tough conditions.”

The Tigers had their best finish at the McDonald Cup on Oct. 1-2, finishing second out of 14 teams. This past weekend was another strong performance to cap off the fall season as the team prepares for a long winter break before matches start up again in the spring.

The women’s team finished fourth out of the seven Ivy League schools this weekend at the Harvard Invitational, with senior Wonji Choi (81-80) leading the Tigers to a combined team score of 79 over par. The Tigers entered Sunday morning in third place and by Sunday afternoon finished a combined 18 strokes behind first-place Penn.

Unlike the men’s team, this is not the women’s last chance at a strong fall showing. They will head to Austin, Texas, on Nov. 1 to play in the Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational. After getting a glimpse of Texas sunshine during their last fall tournament, the women’s team will also walk off of the course until the weather permits them to start up again in the spring.

Both teams hope to take advantage of indoor practice facilities, said D’Amato, as they try to keep their skills sharp for the spring season, which will include the prestigious Ivy League Championship in late April.