The Brandeis golf team tied for seventh place in the Wildcat Spring Invitational at Johnson and Wales College last weekend after finishing third at the Western New England College Invitational on Thursday.On Saturday, the top three finishers for Brandeis, Charles Sacks '11, Aaron Cusato '12 and Lee Bloom '10 each ended the first day with a 13-over-par 84.

Scott Beaulac '12 finished with a 16-over-par 87 while Kyle Managan '12 finished with a 17-over-par 88. The team ended the day tied for tenth.

The next day was an improvement for the team, as it finished seventh in the standings. Sacks led the squad, shooting a three-over-par 74 on the second day to finish 17th overall.

Cuasto tied for 30th after shooting a seven-over-par 78 on the second day.

Bloom improved his score by four shots and finished tied for 38th, while Beaulac tied for 50th and hit six fewer shots on the second day than the first day.

Managan was the only one who did not improve his score on the second day, finishing with an 18-over-par 89. He tied for 64th.

Coach Bill Shipman thought the poor weather played a small role in the team's performance.

"The conditions were difficult, it was cold, windy, a bit rainy, which is always a distraction, although it didn't bother [some] teams as much as some of the other teams. They need to be mentally tougher," said Coach Shipman.

Even despite the conditions, Sacks was pleased with the team's improvements on the second day of play.

"We played pretty badly on the first day, but we had that 25-stroke improvement. We're still able to try better, we're trying to peak for next weekend at the University [Athletic Association Championship]," said Sacks.

He also commented on his struggles on the first two holes, saying that his score could have been even better.

"I opened up with a double and triple bogey; my numbers would have been lower if I had those back," Sacks said.

On Thursday, the team finished in third at the Western New England College Invitational at the Veterans Golf Course in Springfield, Mass.

The team finished overall with a 26-over-par 314, placing third, just eight strokes behind winner Babson College.

This marked the third time this season the team finished third.

The streaking Sacks led the team and finished third overall at the tournament with a three-over-par 75, three strokes behind the winner, sophomore Joe Young of Babson.

"That was a good score; not an easy golf course, fairly narrow," Shipman said. "[Sacks is] driving it particularly well. He's a good driver and generally a good putter. As long as he hits the ball in the fairway, he's in good shape."

"I shot four birdies for the day and kept out of trouble for the day. I was pretty consistent," said Sacks

Cusato finished three strokes behind Sacks and in eighth with a six-over-par 78, and Bloom shot a seven-over-par 79 to place 13th. Beaulac and Managan finished with a 10-over-par 82, tying for 30th.

Sacks thought the team performed well, emphasizing the need to limit mistakes on the golf course.

"The course wasn't super-hard, and the weather was real nice," said Sacks. "The key is not making big mistakes as a team, and as long as I can keep the big mistakes out, I can keep that number low."

The team also defeated competitors, such as Salem State University, who it had trouble with in the past.

"We finished ahead of Salem State. [It was] really the first time I ever remember finishing ahead of them, and we beat Nichols College, which we haven't beaten in recent memory, so that was really nice," said Shipman.

The team will first play in the Worcester State Tournament on Tuesday, and they will then play in the UAA Championships at Rochester University, starting on Sunday and going through Tuesday.

Shipman believes the team will be ready in time to compete in the UAAs.

"I think we played a significant amount," he said. "We should be ready. All five of our players have significant experience. They've all been around; playing the UAAs is a lot of pressure. It's a very strong competition. Hopefully they will get past that and enjoy the tournament.