Seo Hee Moon ’14 came up big for the Bulldogs last weekend. The standout freshman hit her first ever hole-in-one, and broke the course record with a round of 66 (-6) to lead the Bulldogs to a two-stroke first-place finish over host Harvard at the Harvard Invitational.
Moon had the individual lead (74) after round one Saturday, but said her goal for Sunday was to improve her play on what she thought was a weak Saturday performance. And with her team trailing by three points to the Crimson coming into Sunday’s round, she came through when it counted with her first-ever hole-in-one on the thirteenth.
“When I hit the shot, it landed five or six feet in front of the hole,” Moon said. “I turned away from the green, but then my coach said ‘Oh wait, the ball is still going, oh wait, it’s in!’”
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Moon’s record-breaking round helped spark a Bulldog comeback, and their fifth first-place finish of the year.
The Elis finished with a cumulative 609 (+33), beating Harvard, which took second place, by two strokes. Penn took third place in the tournament, shooting a cumulative 625 (+49). Princeton, Brown, Dartmouth and Columbia took fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh, respectively.
Captain Alyssa Roland ’11 said that because the competition was exclusively from the Ancient Eight, the tournament was in many ways a preview for the Ivy League Championship in the spring.
Moon’s standout performance was not the only strong showing from the Bulldogs. Sun Gyoung Park ’14 competed as an individual and tied for third place in the tournament with a cumulative score of 149 (+5).
Owers-Bradley said Park had been injured the past few weeks, and it was great to see her back in action.
Roland tied for 10th with a 156 (+12). Harriet Owers-Bradley ’11 took 12th place, shooting a cumulative 157 (+13), while Alexandra Lipa ’13 and Cassie Boles ’11 tied for 16th, both shooting 159 (+15).
Yale’s strong performance was despite rough conditions Saturday, when Roland said there was a wind advisory issued. She said that while a lot of teams struggled, the Elis kept it under control.
“Seo Hee’s 66 definitely helped,” Roland said. “I don’t understand how she’s so good. She just hits the ball so straight, and every shot lands on the green like darts. She makes it look so easy.”
Moon, just six weeks into her collegiate career, entered the weekend already with two first-place finishes individually and the Yale Golf Course record. Moon’s weekend finish increased that win total to three.
Owers-Bradley said Moon’s performance has been a huge motivator for the rest of the team, and the team’s overall confidence level is much higher than it has been. She added that one tournament win gives the team confidence heading into the next tournament.
The Bulldogs will play their final tournament of the fall season next weekend at the Sacred Heart Invitational in nearby Milford, Conn.