Alex Podell '09 had no problem reaching the green during the Duke Nelson Invitational Saturday and Sunday.

Once he got there, however, it was a different story.

Podell's short game struggles, which included five three-putts in his Sunday round, was indicative of the golf team's trouble, as the Judges finished in 18th place out of 25 teams with an aggregate score of 652.

"I had five three-putts, and that's horrendous," Podell said.

"I know Tiger [Woods] would have killed himself if that happened to him, but I'm just going to be upset with myself."

Only captain Alex Botwick '08, whose two-day total of 156 led the team, was immune from the putting disease.

Podell, who finished with a two-day total of 164, hit 13 of 18 greens in regulation during his Sunday round but still only shot a 79 due to his three-putts on the sixth, seventh, ninth, 13th and 16th holes.

Charles Sacks '11, Aaron Hattenbach '09 and Lee Bloom '08 also struggled, each failing to shoot below 80 in their rounds.

"We were very consistent throughout the lineup," coach Bill Shipman said.

"Nobody had a terrible score, but nobody shot a really low score. We need better play from everybody."

The first day of the tournament was a struggle for the Judges.

Botwick shot a team-best 79 to finish eight strokes over par, but Podell and Sacks each shot an 84 to finish 13 strokes over par, while Hattenbach and Bloom shot 86 and 88, respectively.

Podell attributed the team's poor performance Saturday to cold weather.

He said the wind was blowing hard all day, which in turn affected the speed of the greens.

This was evident when Podell reached the par-three 14th hole Saturday.

Podell was sure he had hit a good tee shot, but the ball sailed into the bushes well beyond the hole.

"All that adds to your aggravation," he said.

"You can't trust yourself with your clubs, and if you screw up once, you screw up twice."

With more favorable conditions Sunday, each of the five starters improved his score.

Botwick raised his score by two strokes, finishing with a six-over-par 77.

He never scored worse than a bogey on any hole, an improvement after a triple-bogey derailed his otherwise strong round at the Bowdoin Invitational Sept. 9.

Still, Botwick said he didn't think his demeanor on the course changed this week.

"It wasn't like I did anything differently this week," he said.

"I just felt confident in what I was doing, and I didn't take as many risks."

Podell also improved by five shots Sunday to finish with a two-day total of 164, though his putting struggles prevented him from shooting any higher.

Sacks improved to a nine-over-par 80, while Bloom and Hattenbach shot 83 and 84, respectively.

Team members said putting woes resulted from tactical and mental factors.

Botwick said the team's approach shots put players in a bad position too often, leaving them with difficult downhill putts.

"It's really, really hard to judge when a putt is going to stop if it's going downhill," he said.

"Putting uphill, you can judge speed a lot easier."

Shipman said the team's poise was lacking on the greens, and it got worse with every missed putt.

"I think [putting] mostly comes from confidence rather than skill," he said.

"If you miss a couple [putts] early, you have to convince yourself that you'll make the next one. You have to forget the last putt [you missed], but that's not that easy of a thing to do."

Despite the putting struggles, Shipman said he was happy that everyone seemed to avoid the concentration gaffs that plagued the team during the Bowdoin Invitational Sept. 4.

"We did better with [avoiding mental lapses] than we ever have in the last year or so," he said. "Overall, I was pretty happy that we didn't have any triple-bogeys or worse."

The Judges next play at the Nichols College Quad Meet Sept. 25 at 2 p.m.