After shooting the best round in his four-year Brandeis career last Friday, Aaron Hattenbach '09 said he has finally figured out the secret to playing his best on the collegiate level."When you start enjoying your sport, and you don't look at it as a competition all the time, you play your best round," Hattenbach said.

Hattenbach had plenty of reasons to enjoy his performance, as he led the Judges with a four-over-par 76 at the Nichols College Tri-Match last Friday. As a team, Brandeis finished second out of three squads with an aggregate score of 318, behind host Nichols College, which finished with a total of 304, and just one stroke ahead of Endicott College.

The Judges competed without Lee Bloom '10, a University Athletic Association player of the week honoree last week, and Charles Sacks '11, who finished second on the team behind Bloom at the Bowdoin Invitational Sept. 13 and 14.

With the next tournament not occurring until next month and with last Friday's tournament being so small, coach Bill Shipman said he wanted to give some of the other golfers a chance to play before the long break.

Hattenbach had two birdies on the day. His first one came on the eighth hole after he knocked an 80-yard chip shot to within three feet of the hole. The second one came on the 18th hole, where he hit a shot out of the bunker to within 20 feet of the hole prior to sinking the long putt.

Hattenbach said some putting adjustments attributed to his improved scores but that it was a change in mindset that helped him the most.

"It's an attitude change more than anything. It's going out there and not having the mentality that this is a tournament and worrying about every score," he said. "Attitude and your mental game can really make the difference between shooting in the 80s and low-to-mid 70s."

Hattenbach credited Bloom's success this season t-o his new outlook on golf. Bloom became the first Brandeis golfer ever to win the Bowdoin Invitational Sept. 14.

Ralph Harary '09 shot an eight-over-par 80 to finish second on the team behind Hattenbach. Aaron Cusato '12 and Alex Podell '09 both shot a nine-over-par 81, and Kyle Mangan '12 rounded out the scoring with a 12-over-par 84 in just his second collegiate match.

Shipman described the team's performance as being "a good result, but not spectacular."

"We would expect more players to be in the 70s on that golf course, generally," he said.

Harary was satisfied with the team's overall score but acknowledged that the squad can do better.

"[Any aggregate score] under 320 is acceptable," Harary said. "But everyone has things they can improve on."

Hattenbach said the greens on the course were "punched" just two days before the match, meaning small indentations were inserted to help the grass grow. According to Hattenbach, such greens make longer putts harder to make and forced the Brandeis golfers to be more cautious with their chip shots, as well as hit their putts harder from 15 feet out and worry less about the breaks on the green.

"When you hit a putt, the ball really takes its own course. It's not in your hands anymore," he said. "Outside of 15 feet, if you make anything- it's not lucky, but you have to hit a really good putt and hope that the ball doesn't get an unlucky hop to the left or the right."

The Judges will next compete October 1 at the Elms Invitational in Chicopee, Mass. at 3 p.m.