Men's Golf Finishes Second at The Classic at Shelter Harbor

Tony Grillo

-By Seiji Liu '14

This weekend, the Harvard Men's Golf Team traveled to Shelter Harbor Golf Club in Charlestown, Rhode Island for its final event of the fall season hosted by the University of Rhode Island. The 16-team event featured all 8 Ivy League teams for the first time all season and acted as a good preview for the Ivy League Championship in the spring.  The 6,700-yard par 71 Shelter Harbor challenged all with its tricky layout. Rock walls and boulders covered many parts of the course with fescue and woodlands lining the fairways.

The Crimson golfers headed down to Rhode Island Friday morning for a shotgun practice round to better understand the course and formulate a strategy of approach. They played in frigid conditions with a slight rain but nonetheless felt better prepared heading into the first round.

The first round of play featured extremely low temperatures in the 40s and strong winds blowing a constant 35 mph. The round became a test of survival and perseverance. The Crimson had a strong showing with a first round 300 that put them in 2^nd place, 1 shot behind leader Columbia University. The Crimson were led by Captain Tony Grillo '12 with a fantastic round of even par 71 that consisted of 16 pars, 1 birdie and 1 bogey- a true model of consistency. Next was freshman Theo Lederhausen '14 with a round of 74.  Seiji Liu '14 and Connor Wentzell '12 fired rounds of 77 and 78, respectively. Mark Pollak '12 rounded out the team with an 81. The team was very optimistic about making a charge the second round for a chance at the title.

The next day once again started with temperatures in the high 30s and low 40s but warmed to more comfortable mid-60's. The team was paired with Columbia University and University of Rhode Island in the final pairings and surely provided an exciting round for spectators and family.  The Crimson golfers improved upon their first round score by 3 shots with a 297. Theo Lederhausen '14 led the way with a 72, including a birdie on the 17^th hole in front of a large crowd. Seiji Liu '14 and Captain Tony Grillo '12 both fired rounds of 73. Connor Wentzell '12 contributed with a 79.  Mark Pollak '12 struggled with the cold weather and tough pin positions to shoot an 82.  This put the Crimson in 2^nd place for the tournament behind Columbia University. Tony Grillo '12 finished T-3rd individually and Theo Lederhausen &rsquo! ;14 finished T-7^th.

This event concluded the fall season.  The team was happy that it ended on a strong note and is looking forward to preparation over the winter and the beginning of the spring season.

1 Columbia University      299  289    588   +20   
2 Harvard University       300  297    597   +29   
3 Pennsylvania, U. of      302  296    598   +30   
4 U.S. Naval Academy       306  295    601   +33
T  5 Dartmouth College        308  295    603   +35
T  5 Hartford, Univ. of       302  301    603   +35   
7 Connecticut, U. of       307  297    604   +36
T  8 Princeton University     310  295    605   +37
T  8 Rhode Island, U. of      302  303    605   +37  
10 Cornell University       310  303    613   +45
T 11 Army                     316  298    614   +46
T 11 Yale University          308  306    614   +46  
13 Brown University         309  307    616   +48  
14 Boston College           313  304    617   +49  
15 Holy Cross, Coll. of     317  306    623   +55  
16 Bryant University        307  322    629   +61 

  Fin  Name                  School      Scores

T  3  Tony Grillo           Harvard      71   73    144    +2   
T  7  Theodore Lederhausen  Harvard      74   72    146    +4
T 19  Seiji Liu             Harvard      77   73    150    +8
T 56  Connor Wentzell       Harvard      78   79    157   +15
T 69  Mark Pollak           Harvard      81   82    163   +21