CU Golf Struggles at Ivies as Kielbasa Takes Eighth

The men’s golf team had been steadily improving in the three or four weeks leading up to the Ivy Championships, which were held at Metedeconk National on Saturday and Sunday, but the signs of that improvement were not apparent in the team’s performance this past weekend.

While the Lions expected to earn a top three finish at the championships, Columbia placed fifth in the Ancient Eight with a three-round combined score of 932.

After carding a 311 and a 304 in the first two rounds at Metedeconk, the men’s golf team found itself in fourth place trailing Dartmouth by only two strokes. But Columbia’s third round score of 317 took the team out of the running for third, and dropped the Lions to fifth on the leader board behind Harvard.

“I think we were disappointed with our finish [at Ivies]. We were six strokes out of third place,” senior co-captain Nathan Kielbasa said. “We felt like we were improving all season, but we just had a bad tournament as a team.”

Although taking a respectable third place was a possibility for the Light Blue up until the very last round, winning the 2002 championship title was never a realistic hope. Columbia finished the tournament 38 shots off Princeton’s winning score of 894 and 25 shots off second place Yale’s score of 907.

Pacing the Lions at the Ivy Championships was Kielbasa. In his final tournament as a Columbia golfer, Kielbasa went 81-70-76 to take eighth place in the individual standings with a score of 226. The team’s most consistent player shot uncharacteristically high in the first round, but later returned to form to shoot two-under par in the second, which was the second lowest single round score of the tournament. Only James Milam of Princeton, the individual winner at Ivies, had a better round when he carded a 69.

“I started the tournament poorly. I don’t know whether I was nervous or whether I was not ready mentally. I just couldn’t put it together,” Kielbasa said. “But in the second round I played one of the best rounds of my college career.”

Unfortunately for the Light Blue, no one else on the team stepped up to match Kielbasa’s strong performance. Sophomore Ali Haji and first-year Chris Oosterhuis tied for 16th overall with combined scores of 236. Haji, in his first ever Ivy Championships, went 76-79-81. Oosterhuis, also playing for the first time in this tournament, bookended a very good second round score of 74 with a pair of 81s.

First-year Darren Bolton trailed teammates Haji and Oosterhuis by just one stroke, going 77-81-79 on the weekend for a combined score of 237. He tied for 23rd overall. Sophomore Nick Prost struggled in his second appearance at Ivies, most notably in the second round when he shot an eight on the par-three Hole No. 4, and finished with a score of 246 by going 77-87-82.

Poor course management seems to have been a problem for the Lions throughout the tournament. All of the members of the golf team misjudged some of the more difficult holes and had to settle with bogies and double-bogies when they could have made par.

“There were some really tough holes [at Metedeconk] in which you had to play sensibly,” Haji said. “We didn’t play smart on those holes and that cost us.”

Columbia was also hindered by a lack of experience at the Ivy Championships. As much as the Lions have improved as a team this season, they could not make up for a deficiency in veteran know-how and confidence with only one senior, two sophomores, and two first-years competing.

But the youthfulness of the team, which was a disadvantage this season, will likely become a source of strength for the men’s golf program down the road a little. Next year, four starting payers will return to the roster and each will have experienced the intensity and pressure of an Ivy Championship. And, at least three new recruits will join the team and have the benefit of learning and maturing as golfers under the leadership of the upperclassmen.

“We have four starters coming back next year, so I think the future of this program looks good,” Haji said. “I think we all learned a lot this season. Hopefully, the players who are returning will improve over the summer and the new recruits will be able to contribute.”

“Next year’s team has a lot of potential, but losing Nathan [Kielbasa to graduation] will be tough for us,” Haji added. “He was one of those guys you could count on every round of golf. I think he was one of the best golfers Columbia has ever had.”

Kielbasa, who helped bring an Ivy Championship title to Columbia in his first season in 1999 and who provided strong leadership for this team both this season and last, will certainly be missed. And he will also think fondly of his days playing for the Light Blue.

“Golf is something that I have been doing since I was eight years old. It has always been a big part of my life, and a big part of my college experience,” Kielbasa said. “I am going to miss it. But, I am also looking forward to getting on with my life.”