This past Sunday, Swarthmore’s golf team kicked off their fall season with a big win at the Frederick W. Anton III Memorial Tournament at Rock Manor Golf Club. The Garnet finished ahead of 13 other teams and were led by Vamsi Damerla ’19. Damerla, a senior from Arcadia, CA, finished second overall in the tournament, shooting a 72. Damerla is a two-time All-Centennial Conference selection and last year was named to the Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-American Scholar team. The Garnet will return to action this weekend as they compete in the Montgomery Cup on Saturday.
Jack Corkery: What is your major, and why did you choose it?
Vamsi Damerla: I’m a political science and economics double major, and I chose this combo because I thought it would be a cool way of studying global systems from unique perspectives.
JC: Why did you decide to attend Swarthmore?
VD: I chose Swarthmore because it gave me the best opportunity to pursue golf at a strong academic school. I also really wanted to come to school on the east coast.
JC: How did you begin playing golf?
VD: I started playing golf when I was four with my dad. He got hooked soon after starting to play, and he wanted to introduce the game to me.
JC: What is your favorite Swarthmore golf memory?
VD: My favorite Swat golf memory is definitely winning the conference’s Rookie of the Year my freshman year. I was in a five-way playoff to win the Conference Championship, and even though I came up just short it was a great experience that I’ll remember for a long time.
JC: What are your personal and team goals for this golf season?
VD: Personally, I’d like to play more consistently than I have in previous years and have my personal lowest scoring average. Team wise, I feel that we have a very solid chance of winning the conference, and I’d love for that to happen before I graduate.
JC: Do you have any post-graduation plans?
VD: I plan to attend law school after graduation.
JC: What is one thing that you would change about Swarthmore?
VD: If I could change one thing about Swarthmore, it would probably be easier accessibility to late-night food. I know that’s starting to change this year with the Crumb Cafe, which is cool, but for the last few years it’s been kind of tough studying late at night without easy access to snacks.
