Despite finishing in 14th place Monday, the women’s golf team made an impressive final round effort on Tuesday, placing in seventh place at the Lady Pirate Invitational in Greenville, N.C. The Elis finished with their lowest cumulative score of the season, 903 (+39). The tournament, held at the Greenville Country Club, featured several top ranked teams including Georgia State University, inter-league rival Penn, and host-team East Carolina University. After two rounds of golf on Monday, the Bulldogs ended the day with a total score of 606 (+30). However, an impressive turnaround Tuesday in the third round moved the team up seven places in the leader board and into seventh place with a three round total of 903 (+39). The eventual winner of the tournament, University of Maryland, finished with a score of 879 (+15).
“Our team played really well today,” Seo Hee Moon ’14 said. “It was the best team total we have had all year.”
Moon, last season’s Ivy League Rookie of the Year, led the way for the Bulldogs. After firing first day rounds of 76 and 69, Moon shot an even 72 to finish tied for seventh overall with a total score of 217 (+1), five strokes behind winner Samantha Morrell of Old Dominion. Although the entire team showed improvement in the latter rounds of the tournament, rainy conditions and a difficult course did not make second day adjustments any easier.
“It wasn’t an easy course,” head coach Chawwadee Rompothong ’00 said. “I thought the team handled the conditions very well. Everyone looked good. I’m proud of them.”
The rest of the Elis also played a pivotal role in turning the tides at the invitational. The women were able to establish themselves amidst a field of 20 teams and over 100 players. Sun Gyoung-Park ’14 finished her final round one over par and tied for 28th with a three- round score of 216 (+10). Alex Lipa ’13 finished two strokes behind and tied for 38th. Both Shreya Ghei ’15 and Joy Kim ’13 performed solidly with final totals of 232 and 242, respectively.
The men’s golf team faced its own challenges at the Big Five Invitational in Plymouth Meeting, Penn. In the two-day tournament, held Oct. 8–9 at the Plymouth Country Club, the men’s team faced strong competition against 22 other teams. The Elis finished with a total score of 604 (+44) and tied with Cornell for 15th.
Dartmouth eventually won the tournament with a score of 578 (+18). This marked the Big Green’s first victory off its home course since 1999.
The course proved to be challenging for most players with only two players shooting par or under.
“The course was really tight, and the greens were really quick,” Sam Bernstein ’14 said. “It made for a challenge both mentally and physically.”
Bernstein finished first for the Elis with a final score of 147 (+7), tying for 21st overall. William Davenport ’15 also performed solidly and had a score of +9 over two rounds. Brad Kushner ’13 and captain Jeff Hatten ’12 finished four strokes and three strokes, respectively, behind Davenport. Davenport noted the team could have played significantly better given a more traditional, straightforward course design, but both he and Bernstein are confident in the defending league champion’s ability to win future tournaments.
“We are very encouraged by our accomplishments to date,” Davenport said. “It’s going to give us a high level of confidence going into the spring season and also our efforts to defend the Ivy League title.”
Both the men’s and women’s golf teams will be seeking a victory this weekend in their final competitions of the fall season. The men’s team finishes its season at the Northeast Invitational at the Shelter Harbor Club in Westerly, R.I. The women’s team will be traveling to the Harvard Invitational in Boston, Mass. looking to duplicate its performance last year, when Moon broke the course record and the team took first place.