The Yale men’s and women’s golf teams wrapped up their fall seasons with seventh and fifth place tournament finishes this weekend, respectively.
The men’s team competed against 14 teams at the Northeast Invitational on Saturday and Sunday, held at the Shelter Harbor Golf Course in Westerly, R.I. Although he did not place in the tournament, Brad Kushner ’13 said the team’s victory at the MacDonald Cup and its third place standing at the Adams Cup earlier this fall indicate the Elis will do well in the spring season and the Ivy League Championship.
“The spring season is our most important season, especially the Ivy League Championship,” Kushner said.
He added that the championship will motivate the team to continue to practice and improve during the winter offseason.
Captain Jeff Hatten ’12 said the team had hoped for a first place finish to cap off the fall season but added that the team improved its playing in adverse conditions during the Northeast Invitational.
“This weekend was great tournament experience as we played a challenging course in very windy conditions,” Hatten said.
Although Dartmouth won the tournament with a final score of 594, the Elis finished with a total two-round score of 614 in two days of play. Sam Bernstein ’14 led the Bulldogs with a fourth place finish and a score of five over par.
William Davenport ’15 finished his fall season with two solid final appearances. He shot a final score of 154 (+12) and tied for 26th place. Kushner finished with a score of 152 (+10) and tied for 16th.
Hatten, who appeared in all the Bulldog’s tournaments this season, finished in 52nd overall. Carson Weinand ’13 rounded out the men’s side in 75th place.
The women’s team finished fifth out of seven teams Ivy Teams at the Harvard Invitational this weekend.
Coming off the Lady Pirate Invitational in Greenville, N.C. with a three-day score of 903 — the team’s best score of the season — two team members said they hoped to sustain their momentum at the Harvard Invitational.
Captain Lily Boettcher ’12 said the Boston Golf Club’s course and conditions proved difficult to all competitors. Only one player — Columbia’s Michelle Piyapattra — managed to keep her score below 11 over par.
“It was very windy on both Saturday and Sunday, which lengthened the course and made it difficult to hit targets,” Boettcher said. “The greens were also some of the trickiest I’ve ever played.”
Boettcher said the putting green was small and the ball rolled on the cut grass quicker than the teams were used to.
The Bulldog’s top finisher was Ivy League Player of the Year Seo Hee Moon ’14 who tied for 8th place and recorded a score of 160 (+16). Sun Gyoung Park ’14 finished two strokes behind Moon and tied for 12th.
Alex Lipa ’13 ended the two rounds of play shooting 163 (+19). Shrey Ghei ’15, Marika Liu ’15, and Boettecher finished in 24th, 26th, and 34th respectively.
The Bulldogs were the women’s golf Ivy League champions last year, and two returning players said they remain confident of the team’s prospects for the title coming into the spring season.
“I am looking forward to the competition in the spring,” Park said. “We are going to fight to defend our Ivy League Champion title.”
The women’s team resumes play March 10 at the Rio Verde Tournament in Rio Verde, Ariz.