When Aaron Hattenbach's '09 perfect par four ten-foot eagle putt just barely lipped out of the hole and forced him to settle for birdie, it marked just one of several frustrating holes that plagued the Judges golf team in its fourth place out of five teams finish at the Elms College Invitational on Wednesday.Captain Nate Goldman '06 shot a team-low 78 to lead the team, which finished with a combined score of 334. Hattenback recovered from a front nine of 11 over par to finish with 84, while Dan Shani '08 finished at 85, and Alex Botwick '08 shot 87. Hattenbach recovered from an 11-over par front nine to shoot 84.

Hattenbach attributed his slow start to lack of preparation.

"I just didn't practice in the five days before the tournament, so I was really rusty," Hattenbach said. "I was hooking my driver and just wasn't confident at first. My attitude got better as the round progressed, and I play better when I am positive."

"It wasn't the overall team performance we were hoping for," Coach Bill Shipman said. "Still, I think the team will benefit from it and learn to have a little bit more mental toughness when a round goes bad later on in the season."

Shipman said that Goldman's solid round was the bright spot in an otherwise lackluster day for the Judges.

"He was consistent off the tee, hit the green, and never got rattled by any mistakes he made," Shipman said.

Shipman also said that he remained optimistic about the team's potential despite Wednesday's disappointing outcome.

The golf team's next match will be at the Nichols College Invitational on Wednesday, Oct. 12th at 3 p.m.