The men’s and women’s golf teams struggled to overcome tough weather conditions and Ivy foes on the road this past weekend.

The men’s team finished fifth at the Caves Valley Invitational after taking first place in its last two tournaments, and the women took third at the ROAR-EE Invitational behind Harvard and Penn.

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After 16 days with no tournament play, the women’s golf team stepped back up to the tee Friday and took third place at the ROAR-EE Invitational with a cumulative score of 619. Five other Ivy teams competed in the tournament, which captain Taylor Lee ’10 said was a great way to prepare for the upcoming Ivy Championship.

Lee said Harvard and Penn proved to be the toughest competition at this tournament, which was hosted by Columbia in Suffern, N.Y. Harvard took first place, shooting a cumulative 603, while Penn took second with a 613.

Although the Bulldogs were in second place behind Harvard going into the second round of the tournament, they dropped to third place in the second and final day of play.

“The second day it was a lot windier, especially on the back nine,” Alyssia Roland ’11 said. “Also, the back nine was even tighter than the front nine, and the pin placement on the final day was frequently on a side slope, which made shorter putts more difficult.”

Alexandra Lipa ’13 led the Elis, finishing tied for fifth place in the individual standings. She was tied for first place at the end of the first round, but ultimately she shot a cumulative 151 on the par-72 course. Roland and Harriet Owers-Bradley ’11 tied for 15th with a cumulative 155. Callie Kemmer ’12 tied for 25th with a 158, while Cassie Boles ’11 finished tied for 49th with a cumulative 163.

Roland said that while her team members all have great swings, Harvard and Penn were able to beat the Bulldogs because of putting. She said the fact that they were sinking birdies and making par led to lower scores.

Owers-Bradley said that because the team leaves Wednesday for the Ivy Championships at Baltusrol in Springfield, N.J., the Elis have only a few days to improve their game.

The men’s golf team also fell to Penn this weekend, taking fifth place out of nine teams at the Yale-hosted Caves Valley Spring Intercollegiate in Owings Mill, Md. This was the Bulldogs first loss in close to a month.

“You can’t win them all,” Brad Kushner ’13 said.

The Elis shot a cumulative 625 to tie with Cornell.

The Quakers finished with a cumulative 612, while Harvard took second with a 617. The Princeton Tigers shot a 622 for third.

Captain Ben Wescoe ’10 said the strong winds and fast putting greens made for some tough rounds of golf.

Tom McCarthy ’11 led the Bulldogs, tying for second place.

McCarthy said he was able to grind out some decent scores and keep his playing together Saturday and Sunday, despite the conditions.

“I was fortunate to finish in second,” he said.

Kushner finished second for the Bulldogs, followed by Wescoe, Carson Weinand ’13 and Brandon Marick ’11.

Kushner said that after hitting the ball extremely well the past three weeks, this weekend he struggled with ball placement. He said he would short side himself on approaches to the green, leaving him with a tough putt.

“This wasn’t our best showing, and we have a few things to work on before Ivies,” Wescoe said. “But we are still very confident and know we will be ready to win next week.”

Kushner said this tournament was much less important than the Ivies, and he likes the team’s position heading into the conference competition.

“This puts the fire back in our bodies, and we want a victory next week more than ever,” Kushner said. “Hopefully our troubles this week will be a blessing in disguise.”

Wescoe said the team will be working on ball-striking and putting to prepare for the Ivies.

Both the men’s and women’s golf teams will be competing in the Ivy Championship at the Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, N.J., from April 23 to April 26.