When Lee Bloom '10 lost last spring's Jack Berry Massachusetts Institute of Technology Invitational last spring in a sudden-death playoff, little did he know he'd have the chance to redeem himself so quickly.That was just the case last Friday, when he again found himself in a sudden-death playoff, this time at the Rhode Island College Invitational. After trading pars with Nichols College junior Shawn Santos on the first playoff hole, Bloom emerged victorious after sinking a six-foot par putt, one stroke better than Santos' bogey.

"When you're in a playoff, a six-foot putt looks a lot longer than it normally does," Bloom said.

Bloom thinks his experience in last year's playoff helped him stay more relaxed this year and viewed this victory as a lot more than just winning a tournament.

"I proved to myself that I could win a playoff," he said.

After shooting a five-over-par through the first 13 holes, Bloom did not expect to end the day atop the leaderboard, but after hitting birdies on the 14th and 15th holes, he found himself right back in the race. He finished the day with a score of three-over-par 75.

Bloom, the first Brandeis golfer to finish in first place at an individual tournament in the last three years, has already won two tournaments this season. He said a new swing has keyed his improvement.

"My swing has become a lot more consistent," he said. "I had really struggled my first couple of years finding a swing that worked and I was always experimenting and changing up my swing, but now that I've found a swing I can stick with, I'm just working on keeping it consistent and making the same swing every time."

Shipman commended Bloom on his achievement.

"We're very proud of him. He's the first medalist we've had in three years.