The men’s golf team stumbled to third place in the annual Little Three Championships at the Hickory Country Club. Wesleyan lost to both Amherst and Williams, by scores of 9.5-2.5 and 10-2, respectively. Captain Dave Velardo ’08 accounted for four of the team’s 4.5 points by defeating both of his rivals in the number one positions in the individual match play format. He also paired with teammate John Torrenti ’09 for a pair of wins in the alternate shot format. Wesleyan’s final half point came from Will Bennett ’07, who halved his match versus Amherst.

“Velardo is the truth, a clear division one golfer playing division three,” Bennett said. “His brother plays Division I, and he elected not to go that route because he wanted a different college experience. He is really fun to watch out there. He is really dangerous, drains puts from everywhere. I think he is just a better athlete than most of the golfers he plays, especially in Division III.”

Teams bring eight golfers to the Little Three Championships – normally there are only five players per squad in each match – an event that represents one of the toughest competitions each year. As both Williams and Amherst have eight solid players on their teams, Little Threes presented a formidable challenge for the Wesleyan squad.

Despite the stiff competition, Velardo succeeded both individually and with partner Torrenti.

“I played with Torrenti, and we had a great match against Williams and Amherst, beating Amherst 3&2 and Williams 1-up,” Velardo said after the match. “John made a great 20-foot putt on number 13 for birdie, and then a 12-footer on number 18 to seal the match against Williams.”

Wesleyan’s second-seeded singles player was Eli Wilson ’09, who dropped matches to both Amherst and Williams, falling 3&2 and 6&5 respectively. The team’s third seeded individual player, Max Schenkein ’08, fell in close matches, 3&2 and 4&3 to Williams’ and Amherst’s number three golfers.

In alternate shot play, Wesleyan’s number two team, composed of Wilson and Schenkein, lost two close matches also, falling to Williams’ squad 3&2 and Amherst’s 2&1. The Cardinals’ number three squad was comprised of linemates from the hockey team, Bennett and Taylor Evans ’07. They too dropped decisions to both of their opponents, falling 6&5 to Amherst and 8&7 to Williams.

In the match between the number one seeds, Velardo and Torrenti combined for heroics to clinch the match on the final hole. Bennett described what he called “one of the most amazing shots I have ever seen.” Needing an up-and-down to win the match, Velardo hit a beautiful pitch to set up Torrenti’s clinching put.

“Torrenti put left of the green with his approach, and Velardo had to hit the ball out of mud, over a trap, and also keep the ball low enough because of an overhanging tree, with basically no green to work with,” Bennett said. “With a pretty decent sized gallery watching, Velardo had to put the ball close enough to the pin so that Torrenti could sink the putt for the win. Somehow, he manages to put spin on the ball and leaves the ball perfectly set just six feet from the hole. Torrenti drains the putt, and the team wins.”

Williams College was the day’s overall winner, defeating Amherst 8-4 and Wesleyan 10-2. Heading into the afternoon’s match play round, Williams led the tournament 2-0, while Amherst was in second at 1-1 and Wesleyan in third at 0-2. After a wet 18 holes in the afternoon, the Ephs from Williams were crowned the overall Little Three Champions for the seventh straight year.