Coming into this weekend’s MacDonald Cup tournament at Yale, the Harvard men’s golf team had some questions to answer. Was it the improved team that began the season with a fourth-place finish at the Mid-Pines Intercollegiate or the one that faltered two weeks ago with a last-place finish at the McLaughlin Invitational?

Feeling like they had something to prove, the Crimson golfers came out swinging and finished fifth in a 26-team field, marking a dramatic improvement from their last outing.

“It was really good to see the team rebound after the McLaughlin,” captain Michael Shore said. “We did really well in one of the deepest tournaments of the year, and everyone did awesome.”

Leading the way was sophomore Greg Shuman, who finished with a two-round total of 151 (74-77), good for 33rd overall in the tournament.

Freshman Louis Amira was only one stroke behind him with a two-day score of 152 (79-73), one shot better than sophomore Danny Mayer’s 153 (72-81).

Junior John Christensen and sophomore Peter Singh also contributed for the Crimson, with scores of 155 (75-80) and 158 (85-73), respectively.

Harvard placed fifth with a team score of 603 (300-303), just one stroke behind fourth-place finisher Dartmouth. Texas Christian won the tournament with a 573 (285-288), and all of their golfers finished in ninth place or better.

Despite the strong showing, the Crimson golfers still think they have room to improve.

“Most of us feel like we didn’t play the best, but as a team we scrapped it together well enough to finish fifth in a strong field,” Shuman said. “We had the potential to finish higher if we played our absolute best.”

As a testament to the difficulty of The Course at Yale, only three individuals were able to shoot under par in the entire tournament. The course, playing at 6,749 yards to a par of 70, has been ranked among the world’s most difficult.

“Everyone thinks they played better than they scored,” Shuman said, “because you hit a lot of shots on the green, the way it’s designed. It’s really a tribute to the Yale golf course” that the scores were high.

The course was not able to prevent the Crimson from realizing its goal of improving on its disappointing play two weeks ago. The team used that outing as a source of motivation and came together as a group.

“Practices have been going really well, and it showed in the result,” Shore said. “The last two weeks have been the best practices in my career, and I’m really happy with the results.”

Shore and sophomore Nick Moseley, who had a memorable day, competed in the tournament as individuals, meaning their scores did not count in the team totals.

“Nick pulled out an eagle on the fourth in front of his teammates,” Shore said.

The infamous fourth hole is considered one of the most difficult holes around.

Knowing there is still room to improve, the team is looking to carry its momentum throughout the rest of the season.

“None of us felt like we played like we were capable of,” Shuman said. “We feel like there are a lot of strokes left on the golf course, and we could have done better.”

Next weekend, the Crimson has the chance to show its potential at the ECAC Division I Championships in Charlestown, R.I.

“As a captain, it’s great to see our team coming together,” Shore said. “It’s not a bunch of individuals playing—we play as a team, and we encourage each other. It’s great to see that.”