Tag Archive: M. Golf

  1. GOLF | Yale teams tee off to strong season

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    A stellar start to the season for the men’s golf team Monday and Tuesday was eclipsed only by the even stronger performance of the women’s golf team over the weekend.

    The women’s team opened its season with a 15-stroke win at the Dartmouth Invitational Tournament. Shreya Ghei ’15 capped off the weekend by winning the individual title with a one-under par 143 over the two days of the tournament. The men carried the momentum of the women’s team the next two days and took second at the Adams Cup in Newport, R.I.

    “The team played really well,” Sam Bernstein ’14 said. “The conditions were tough — it was windy both days and both courses were pretty firm and fast. But we played really solid golf, and our top four guys showed that we can be competitive not only with schools across the country but with schools in the Ivy League.”

    Bernstein led the Elis to an overall score of +23 over the three rounds of the tournament, which left them only a single stroke behind No. 22 University of Central Florida, who took first place in the tournament. The junior played consistent, opportunistic golf over the weekend for an even par performance that landed him the individual championship. Close on his heels was Joe Willis ’16, who finished second at +3 in his Yale debut.

    Despite his inexperience and the large footprints that Yale freshmen have left over the past few seasons — both Bernstein and Will Davenport ’15 won the Ivy League Rookie of the Year award over the past two seasons — Willis said that he was unaffected by the pressure.

    “I was a little bit nervous just as with any tournament on the first tee, but once the round got started the nerves weren’t an issue,” Willis said. “I just kept the ball in play. I hit it pretty solid, and I made a few putts.”

    The men’s individual and team successes capped off a strong showing for the Elis that began three days earlier with the women’s team. The Bulldogs led Boston University by two strokes after the first day of competition and never relinquished that lead. The Elis were undaunted by the task of playing with the lead and dropped their team score to 295 on the second day of competition, leaving BU in the dust.

    The Bulldogs’ second-day 295 approached the team’s target of 288 — even par for the top four players — that head coach Chawwadee Rompothong ’00 set for the team at the beginning of the year.

    “Our team low is 292 and we want to break that,” Rompothong said. “We want to focus on what we can control rather than what other teams do. Our average was 310 last year and a score lower than 300 is great. It’s important that we keep getting closer every time we compete, and it’s nice to focus on something else we can control.”

    The Yale women were led by strong individual performances from Ghei and Sun Gyoung Park ’14, both of whom set personal records over the weekend, according to Rompothong. Park finished tied for third and three more Yalies, Marika Liu ’15, Caroline Rouse ’15 and Seo Hee Moon ’14 finished in the top nine for the tournament.

    Ghei won her individual title with consistent rounds of 71 and 72 and edged BU’s Kristyna Pavlickova by two strokes. The sophomore said that her putting gave her the advantage this weekend.

    “I putted really well, which was important because all of last year I wasn’t putting as well,” Ghei said. “I wasn’t holing shots from all over the course but I sank a lot of putts when I had the chance.”

    While the Dartmouth course that Ghei and her teammates faced was like a “miniature Yale” according to Rompothong, the men faced a much more unfamiliar environment in Newport.

    The first two rounds of the tournament were played at the Newport Country Club, wich Bernstein described as a windy, links-style course. The final round was played at Carnegie Abbey.

    Both teams will return to familiar environs for their next matches, however. The women will contest the Yale Intercollegiate Tournament on their home course this weekend and the following weekend the men will play in the Macdonald Cup at the Course at Yale as well.

    “We’re going to be working hard in practice for our home tournament next weekend. We definitely want to play well,” Willis said. “Our focus is to try to win our home tournament.”

    Correction: Sept. 19

    A previous version of this article mistakenly referred to the Macdonald Cup, a golf tournament at Yale, as the MacArthur Cup.

  2. GOLF | Elis get back in the swing of things

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    As freshmen move in across from the New Haven Green, Yale’s golf teams head back to the putting green.

    Both the men’s and women’s golf teams are aiming for an Ivy title this coming spring. After a disappointing sixth-place Ivy finish last year, the men’s golf team has retained all but one of its players, and hopes the extra year of experience can help reclaim the Ivy ring it earned in 2011. The women’s team returns the dynamic junior duo of Sun Gyoung Park ’14 and Seo Hee Moon ’14 along with two freshmen — Deanna Song ’16 and Michelle Fogarty ’16. Members of both teams said they are excited to begin competing in September.

    “I think we’re going to be really strong this year,” men’s captain Brad Kushner ’13 said. “Everybody’s been improving. I can’t wait to go to our first tournament.”

    While the fall season does not culminate in an Ivy League Championship, each team hopes to gain experience from fall competition. Women’s captain Alexandra Lipa ’13 said that the upcoming season is a chance to scope out the other Ivy League teams and get a better feel for where Yale stands, while William Davenport ’15 of the men’s team said the season will provide an opportunity to establish the Yale team as one to watch.

    The men’s team graduated its captain, Jeff Hatten ’12, but will look to new teammate Joe Willis ’16 to help fill the hole. The squad will still miss the leadership and talent of Hatten, Davenport added.

    “Our captain last year was a natural leader, someone we all looked up to and a close friend,” he added.

    Kushner, who said becoming captain had been a dream of his since age 10, added that he hopes to lead the team to improve its national ranking. Kushner explained that the Yale men’s team will play more national powerhouses in the fall season, which will give them the opportunity to climb the rankings faster.

    The women’s team also said farewell to its former captain, Lily Boettcher ’12 as well as Callie Kemmer ’12 but gained Song and Fogarty. The freshmen will hopefully help the women’s team on their way to victory, Lipa said. They will be playing alongside experienced players such as Caroline Rouse ’15 and Park, who finished 25th at the Pure Silk Women’s Collegiate Team Championship this summer.

    Both teams are looking back on last season’s Ivy losses as motivation to regain focus on training throughout the fall and spring.

    “I know we knew we were capable of winning Ivies, and we had a really great season, [so it was] definitely disappointing,” Davenport said, “We’re going to come back a stronger team and more prepared to win Ivies,” he added.

    Harvard won the women’s Ivy League Championship last year, while Yale came in third behind Penn. The team is especially motivated to beat rival Harvard this year, Lipa said, adding that she believes the Ivy League Championship is within reach this year.

    The women’s team will kick off the season Sept. 15 at the Dartmouth Invitational, and the men’s team will begin competition Sept. 17 with the Adam’s Cup in Newport, R.I.

  3. M. GOLF | Elis win by one stroke

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    The men’s golf team triumphed in a nerve-racking one stroke victory last weekend at the Princeton Invitational.

    After two days of competition, April 14-15, the Bulldogs posted a combined total of 858, which topped Georgetown’s 859 by the slimmest of margins. This is the third year in a row Yale has claimed the Princeton Invitational title. Team captain Jeff Hatten ’12, had a career low final round of 67. His finish was good for second place in the individual competition, only one stroke away from the individual winner, Dartmouth’s Peter Williamson.

    “Our goal was to win, and with Ivy League Championships approaching it’s really nice to have this confidence boost,” Hatten said.

    Yale was tied with Georgetown heading into the final day of competition. Team members knew they could not afford to make any mistakes or mental errors if they were going to win the tournament, Hatten said. Under these circumstances, he added that “You play every shot like it is the deciding one.”

    After finishing Sunday with a score of 283, or one under par, the Elis attempted to decipher their place in the standings. As they started to do the math, William Davenport ’15 said they came to the conclusion that they had lost by one. The team was upset and even told Georgetown congratulations, he added.

    But at the awards ceremony, the Bulldogs were in for a pleasant surprise. When team members learned they had one-upped Georgetown and defended their tournament title, Davenport said the atmosphere completely changed.

    The tournament win was well timed. Since all Ivy League teams compete in this tournament, it is considered a precursor to Ivies. The two times this academic year that all the Ivy League teams have been in one competition, Yale has won, Sam Bernstein ’14 said, which is a good sign heading into Ivy League Championships.

    Hatten agreed that the win is a good sign, but cautioned that this is only one tournament, and the team has to maintain its focus.

    “This increases our confidence and tells us we’re going to be very competitive at Ivies but still need to … do our best if we want to win,” Hatten said.

    Individually, Hatten was outstanding. His overall score for the three rounds of play was 209, and his last round of the weekend, in which he scored 67, was the best of his Yale career. He ended the weekend four under par and placed second in the individual standings. Davenport scored second best for the Bulldogs. He came back from a disappointing first round, in which he scored 77, to post two rounds of 71 and 70. His total for the weekend was 218, which placed him in a tie for 14th in the individual rankings.

    The team’s next challenge is the Century Intercollegiate tournament, which will be held on April 21-22 at Century Country Club in Purchase, N.Y.

  4. GOLF | Yale teams each take fourth

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    A windy weekend produced mixed results for the men’s and women’s golf teams.

    The men’s team kicked off its spring season with the Yale Spring Opener at the Course at Yale on Saturday. The men placed fourth out of 13 teams, falling to Tennessee (574), Dartmouth (591), and Seton Hall (602), with a score of 618. The women’s team, which competed at the Brown Invitational on Sunday and Monday in Providence, placed fourth out of 11 teams, with a score of 629 and scored the lowest of any team on Monday, posting a 313.

    “Obviously we have a lot to work on… [but] I definitely don’t think we’re worried,” team captain Jeffrey Hatten ’12 said. “If anything it will motivate us individually and as a team to step it up a little bit.”

    Although the men’s team said it was disappointed by its performance at the tournament, team members said they understand they played under difficult course conditions. Hatten said that the team may have lost some of its home course advantage because it is not used to playing in such high winds.

    High winds were also a significant factor in the women’s tournament, team captain Lily Boettcher ’12 said. The first day had less wind, Seo Hee Moon ‘14 said, and the Elis placed fifth with a score of 316.

    On the second day of competition, the wind kicked it up a notch and so did the Bulldogs. The team posted the best score of any team (313), which Boettcher said is a particularly impressive feat because of the challenging weather conditions.

    The five women who contributed to the Elis’ team score were Sun Park ’14, Moon, Joy Kim ’13, Alex Lipa ’13, and Callie Kemmer ’12. In addition, Boettcher and Shreya Ghei ’15 competed individually. Moon had the lowest individual score on the second day of competition (72). Moon placed fourth in the overall individual competition and as followed by teammates Park and Boettcher who placed 12th and 15th respectively.

    On the men’s team, the top five competitors were Hatten, Bradley Kushner ’13, Sam Bernstein ’14, Will Davenport ’15 and Carson Weinand ’13. Hatten posted the best score for the Bulldogs, +12, and tied for 14th in the individual standings. Other individual highlights of the tournament included Hatten and Kushner’s first round scores of 74, and Berstein’s second round score of 75. Despite these successes, no one walked away from the tournament satisfied with his play, Davenport said.

    The men’s team members said they are looking forward to continued matchups in the upcoming weeks, particularly with Ivy League rival Dartmouth. The next three weekends Yale will compete in the same tournaments as the Big Green. Both Hatten and Davenport said that while they have the upmost respect for Dartmouth as a team, they hope the upcoming weeks will yield a different result in the Yale-Dartmouth contest.

    Both the men’s and women’s teams are focused on the coveted Ivy League title. The men’s team has two more tournaments before the Ivy League Championships, including one this upcoming weekend at Princeton. Hatten said the team would like to gain more experience playing under pressure before Ivies and defend its first place finish from last year in the Princeton Invitational.

    When it comes to the Ivy League Championships, Davenport said despite the team’s finish at this tournament, he thinks the Bulldogs will come together at the end of the season when it matters. Boettcher expressed a similar sentiment about the women’s team, saying that the team is headed in the right direction and will be ready for its Ivy League Championship tournament.

    The Ivy League Championships will be held in Galloway, N.J., on April 27-29.

  5. GOLF | Hatten leads championship team

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    In the 2010-’11 season, golf captain Jeffrey Hatten ’12 placed fourth at the Ivy League Championship, was selected for first team All-Ivy, and achieved three straight top-10 finishes. The captain, who swings lefty but putts righty, averaged a score of 76.4 over eight tournaments and shot a low round of 71 in the 2010-’11 season. The Bulldogs will kick off their spring season with the Yale Spring Opener on Saturday.

    The News spoke with Hatten to find out about the dynamics of the golf team, his personal experiences on the team, and his pursuits outside of golf.

    Q How has the golf team evolved since your freshman year?

    A Definitely the main development over my four years was getting to the point when we won the [Ivy League] championship last year. Other than that, it hasn’t evolved too much. We’ve had a lot of great guys coming in and out.

    Q How would you describe the dynamic of the team?

    A Golf is certainly different from a lot of other sports, as it’s an individual sport. That being said, we all get along really well and root for each other. Our coach always helps us if he sees something going on with our swings. He’s there to guide us.

    Q What are the benefits of being on the Yale golf team, as opposed to other schools’ golf teams?

    A The most obvious benefit is that we have the number one college course in the country. The course is ranked in the top 15 in the country, as well, which is a huge plus. The course is a really nice, relaxing property, and a good practice facility for us. For me, another huge benefit is that they team is a great group of guys that gets along really well, which provides the environment for us all to improve.

    Q Who are your main rivals this year, and how has your relationship with them evolved?

    A Dartmouth is playing really well this season, as are Penn and Harvard. Harvard is probably more one of our biggest rivals, just because of the Yale-Harvard rivalry. There hasn’t been one dominant powerhouse in the Ivy League, just because everyone has their ups and downs, good seasons and bad seasons.

    Q How do you incorporate the mental aspect of golf into your practices?

    A We can try to simulate play conditions, and definitely do a lot of friendly matches within the team, especially between upperclassmen and underclassmen. This helps us feel the pressure that you might feel during a typical match.

    Q Describe a typical golf practice for your team.

    A We get to the course, which is about three miles from campus, at 3 p.m. It is pretty much up to us what we want to work on. We typically hit balls for half an hour to an hour, and then have the option to go out and play on the course, put on the putting green, or chip on the chipping green. We also have an indoor golf center in the Payne Whitney Gymnasium on the second floor. There is a simulator where you can essentially hit into the screen, and a camera that measures the speed of the ball. It is pretty close to an accurate portrayal of how your shot looks on the course, and a very helpful tool when the weather is too bad to play outside.

    Q What is your most memorable match in your career at Yale, and why?

    A My most memorable matches definitely occurred during Ivies last year in Galloway, N.J. near Atlantic City. It was a three-day tournament, and after Friday we were one match ahead, but Saturday we were one back. On Sunday we ended up winning. Coming off the 18th green and seeing everyone smiling at our win was the best moment in my Yale golf career.

    Q What role will golf play in your life after Yale?

    A In the long term, it will definitely be a big part. A lot of people, especially later in life, pick up the game of golf, as it’s such a great lifelong sport. I hope it will be helpful in business. Golf is something I definitely want to come back to after I work, through more amateur competitions and tournaments.

    Q What other pursuits have shaped your Yale experience aside from golf?

    A Golf takes up a lot of time, so there hasn’t really been too much else. However, the outreach the Yale golf team does has been extremely rewarding. Every Monday we bring in kids from a school in New Haven and teach them golf. I’ve been participating in the program since my sophomore or freshman year, and it’s become a mentoring program. I love getting to share everything golf has to offer.

    Q What are your post-graduation plans?

    A I will be working in investment banking in Boston starting this summer, and taking some time off from golf next year.

  6. GOLF | Opener comes to disappointing close

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    It was a disappointing season opener at Georgetown’s Hoya Invitational for the women’s golf team.

    The Bulldogs competed in their season debut earlier this week at Georgetown, against 12 teams, including Eastern Michigan, Seton Hall, St. John’s and University of Pennsylvania. The Elis finished in eighth place and scored 315 in their final round, about three strokes above the team’s average score this season. Of five golfers that competed for the team, Alexandra Lipa ’13, Shreya Ghei ’15, Seo Hee Moon ’14, Sun Gyoung Park ’14 and Joy Kim ’13, the top individual finisher was Park with scores of 84 78 78, in her three rounds.

    “We all feel like we could have done a lot better,” Ghei said. “We played better today than yesterday.”

    The team had a particularly difficult first day of competition on Monday. Yale’s score was a 659 for 36 holes, more than 16 strokes above the team’s average score. The weather may have been a factor in the team’s poor score, Ghei said, as it was extremely windy and difficult to control the ball in the air.

    Despite an unsatisfactory overall score, the first day did contain some bright spots for the Elis. Moon began the day with the best first round score for Yale, 78, which placed her sixth in the standings. This score was propelled by an impressive eagle on the 17th hole from 142 yards away, which Ghei called the highlight of the tournament. Park finished the day 20th in the individual standings with a two round score of 162. After the first round of competition, Yale placed eighth as a team.

    Tuesday brought better results for the Bulldogs, but this was not enough to raise their place in the standings. Even their improved score of 315 was disappointing, Kim said. But the team now has a better idea of what it needs to improve on for its upcoming season and ultimately for Ivy League Championships, she added.

    Team members said they hope for continued improvement. The team did not play to its full potential since it was the first tournament of the year, Kim said, adding that the team has a tendency to improve as the season goes on.

    “We go into every tournament wanting to win, so the results were a little disappointing, but our team has a lot of room for improvement.” Kim said in an email to the News. “I have confidence that everything will begin clicking as our season progresses.”

    The Hoya Invitational is part of the long windup to Ivy League Championships, the team’s ultimate goal, team captain Lily Boettcher ’12 said. The team only has one tournament left before Ivy League Championships, which will take place April 27-29 in Galloway, N.J. Penn, the only other Ivy League team in this week’s tournament, topped the Bulldogs at Georgetown. But only one tournament determines the Ivy League Championship, Boettcher added.

  7. GOLF | Teams prep for spring tournaments

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    Yale’s golf teams are beginning their spring seasons with high expectations and Ivy League Championships to defend.

    Both the men’s and women’s teams qualified for the NCAA tournament last year after winning their respective Ivy League Championships. The women’s team, which will compete on Monday in Georgetown, lost three seniors last season to graduation, but expects to make up the difference with a strong freshman class. The men’s team, which will kick off it’s spring season on April 7 at home, lost only one senior and gained three freshman.

    “Everybody is hungry to repeat an Ivy League Championship,” William Davenport ’15 said.

    After a winter of working inside, the men’s team is itching to hit the golf course and repeat the success of last spring. Members of the team said they may be even stronger this year.

    “I think we’re just as strong if not stronger [than last year],” Jeffrey Hatten ’12, the team captain said, “We have more experience than last year,” he added. The biggest loss to the men’s team was former captain Tom McCarthy ’11, who was a significant contributor to the team last year. The three freshmen this year, Davenport, Thomas Greenhalgh ’15, and John McNiff ’15, have stepped up to take his place. Davenport, in particular emerged as part of the starting lineup in the fall season.

    The women’s team lost three seniors last year. The team is now composed of more underclassmen than upperclassmen, which is a big change, Alexandra Lipa ’13 said. But this change is not necessarily for the worse. The Bulldogs gained three new freshman, Shreya Ghei ’15, Marika Liu ’15 and Caroline Rouse ’15. Lipa said that the freshmen are helping to fill the hole the seniors left in the lineup.

    Both teams have their sights set on the Ivy League Championships, which will take place in late April. Members of the teams said they expect nothing less than a repeat of last season.

    “We won the Ivy title last year and intend on winning it again,” Lipa said in an email to the News. The main goal of the men’s team is also to defend its title, Hatten said. If either team wins another Ivy League title, it will continue competition in the NCAA tournament. The toughest competition in the Ivy League for the men’s team is currently Dartmouth, Davenport said. He added that Yale defeated Dartmouth in the fall season.

    The women’s team’s tournament against Georgetown will be its first since the fall, except for the Rio Verde tournament, which they competed in over spring break in Arizona. The team is eager to begin the season this weekend, Lipa said.

    The men’s team is also eager to begin its season.

    “I think I speak for everyone when I say we’re excited,” Hatten said.

    The men’s season opener will be hosted by Yale next weekend, April 7. A home tournament is an advantage, since the team has played on its own course many times, McNiff said. Due to this advantage and the team’s strength, if the Bulldogs play their best game, they could certainly win the tournament, Davenport said.

    The men’s team placed ninth at their spring break tournament, the Callaway Farms Invitational in Santa Fe, Calif.

  8. GOLF | Elis finish fall season

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    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.

  9. GOLF | Men notch second all-time win in home tournament

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    After decades of coming up short in the Macdonald Cup — Yale’s home tournament — the men’s golf team gained its second win in the tournament’s 35 year history Sunday.

    The Macdonald Cup began in 1976, but Yale’s team did not clinch a victory until 2009. Over the past five years, the team threatened to take the tournament and placed second in 2007, 2008 and 2010. This year, Captain Jeff Hatten ’12, Brad Kushner ’13 and Sam Bernstein ’14 led the team to a five-stroke victory over 12 other schools.

    “It is a great feeling winning the Macdonald Cup at our home golf course,” Hatten said. “This was the second time in the tournament’s 35 year history that Yale won, the first being two years ago. So it was special.”

    Hatten, Kushner and Bernstein played impressively during the first round of 18 holes and all tied for fifth place after day one of the tournament. They each scored a solid 69 (-1) in the first round, and the team finished even par (280) on the first day.

    Sitting at the top of the leader board after the first day, the team however did not lose sight of its ultimate goal.

    “Yes, there is certainly added pressure being in the lead overnight,” Hatten said. “But we just went out and tried to shoot the lowest score we could on the final day, and it worked out for us.”

    Because it was raining Saturday, the second round of 18 holes was cancelled, but the team held on to the lead during the 18 holes Sunday and finished at 565 (+5). The Bulldogs defeated their interleague rivals Princeton and Dartmouth by five and seven strokes respectively.

    Bernstein led the Elis with a final round of 68 (-2) and finished the tournament three under, just one stroke behind tournament winner Peter Williamson of Dartmouth. Kushner finished at even par overall and tied for fourth place, and Hatten finished seven over. In his first home tournament, William Davenport ’15 shot +4 overall for 16th place.

    “We are all playing great golf right now,” Kushner said. “We all played solid golf and were able to limit our mistakes.”

    Kushner added that the team had a productive week of practice leading up to the game, and that the home course advantage helped them take the title.

    Although the women’s team did not win this weekend at the the Nittany Lion Invitational, the team also played well under difficult weather conditions. Facing strong competition in a field of 15 teams, the Bulldogs finished tied with Harvard for ninth place (624), and Eastern Michigan won the tournament with an overall score of 597.

    Alex Lipa ’13 and Seo Hee Moon ’14 led the team, each with a score of 154 and tied for 27th overall.

    “I thought the team did very well, considering the conditions out there, between the rain and extreme temperatures,” Lipa said. “We all pulled it together and played great.”

    The third day of competition was eventually cancelled due to the deluge of rain and snow that flooded greens and fairways. Lipa said she thought the team could have placed higher in the rankings if it had been able to play the last round of 18 holes.

    “It is difficult to keep focused when rain and snow is pouring down on you for five hours,” Lipa said. “I was hoping to play the last day to boost my score, but the snow got in the way.”

    The men’s and women’s teams each have only two more tournaments in their fall seasons. The men’s team is competing at The Big Five Golf Invitational starting on Oct. 8 at the Plymouth Country Club in Philadelphia, Pa., while the women’s team will travel to Greenville, N.C. on Oct. 9 for the East Carolina Invitational.

  10. GOLF | Moon ’14 defends title, women take fourth

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    It was a busy week for the Yale golf teams, which competed in their first multi-day tournaments of the season.

    The defending Ivy League champion men’s team competed at the Adams Cup on Monday and Tuesday in Newport, R.I. A strong second day placed the team in third place. While back at home, the women’s team hoped to defend its title at the Yale Women’s Intercollegiate tournament last Saturday and Sunday. Battling against 15 other teams, the team finished in fourth at the notoriously tough Course at Yale.

    Facing tough competition from all over the country, the women’s team finished with a strong fourth-place performance shooting a combined score of 925. Interleague rivals Harvard finished first with a score of 894 followed by Longwood University (910) and Nova Southeastern University (913). The Bulldogs all played solidly, including Shreya Ghei ’15 (74, 78, 74) and Marika Liu ’15 (75, 79, 75), who finished 11th and 19th respectively. Sun Gyoung Park ’14 and Alex Lipa ’13 tied for 21st (234).

    Seo Hee Moon ’14, continuing where she left off after a standout freshman season, led the team with a strong first-place finish. Moon led all competitors with first- and second-round scores of 69 and 74, respectively. In a highly contested finish, the sophomore finished with a score of 75, tied with Harvard’s Tiffany Lim for first. Moon’s first day scores were ultimately the deciding factor, breaking the tie (218), allowing her to reclaim the Yale Women’s Intercollegiate title.

    “Walking 36 holes is always tough,” Moon said. “I don’t think people understand, to have that mental stamina and physical stamina for that long and having to play well for 36 holes is always a challenge.”

    The same rigorous schedule made the Adams Cup equally competitive for the men’s team against 19 other colleges. After finishing the first 36 holes on Monday in sixth at the challenging Newport National Golf Course, the Bulldogs made a notable last day surge to finish third at the second venue, the Carnegie Abbey Club. Led by Sam Bernstein ’14, the team improved over last year’s ninth-place finish. Bernstein, last season’s Ivy League Rookie of the Year, shot a final round of 67 (-4) to climb the leader board en route to a tie for fourth.

    “We had an okay morning round and a great second round,” Bernstein said. “My turning point was my last hole of the first round.”

    Bernstein eagled the last hole, keeping both himself and his team in sight of first place. Ahead of the Elis (860) were the defending Adams Cup Champions, the University of Central Florida (842) and NCAA championship finalists, Georgia Bulldogs (851).

    Bradley Kushner ’13 also helped the Bulldogs to its third-place finish firing a 70 (-1) to finish in sixth. William Davenport ’15 played well on his final day (73) to finish tied for 14th. Team veterans captain Jefferey Hatten ’12 and Russel Holmes ’12 finished in 41st and 51st, respectively.

    The men’s and women’s teams hope to use their momentum from the weekend in their upcoming tournaments. The men will continue their fall season on Oct. 1 and 2 at the MacDonald Cup at Yale. The women will be hitting the road to the Nittany Lion Invitational on Sept. 30 at the Penn State Golf Course.

    “We want to win,” women’s captain Lily Bottecher ’12 said. “We have the players and the talent, and now need to put it together on the weekend.”

  11. M. GOLF | Men’s golf team off to winning start

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    The men’s golf team held off a strong showing from archrivals Harvard and Princeton at the Sebonack Golf Club to secure victory at the season opener Sunday.

    The event was a match play tournament, with the Bulldogs winning the tri–meet over the Crimson 7.5 to 6.5. The Tigers claimed the remaining four matches. The HYP match was the three teams’ first event of the season for the second straight year. Yale won last year in dominating fashions, taking eight of 15 total matches.

    But this time around, the Bulldogs were playing without former captain Tom McCarthy ’11, a three–time First Team All-Ivy selection.

    “Although it is impossible to replace a legendary Yale golfer like Tom, the other upperclassmen have really been stepping up and playing great,” Brad Kushner ’13 said.

    Kushner and Sam Bernstein ’14 led the Elis by scoring two points each. Kushner defeated Princeton’s Evan Harmeling with a two–up victory and followed up with a dominating win over Harvard captain Antonio Grillo.

    Bernstein, last year’s Ivy League Rookie of the Year, picked up right where he left off last spring with a quick victory on the 13th hole over Taylor Peck. He completed the sweep by beating the Crimson’s Theo Lederhausen.

    “This year’s team is looking great,” captain Jeff Hatten ’12 said. “We have a lot of good players and hopefully we will feed off each other’s success.”

    Hatten defeated Chase Lovett–Woodsum of Princeton before splitting the Harvard match to give the Bulldogs a crucial advantage over the Crimson.

    Russell Holmes ’13 dropped two closely contested matches, including a loss on the final hole against the Tigers.

    “Russell also played really well,” Kushner said. “He was unlucky to meet formidable opponents who also played their best golf.”

    However, it wasn’t just the upperclassmen who stood out on Sunday, as the freshman duo of Thomas Greenhalgh ’15 and William Davenport ’15 made an impressive debut for the Elis.

    Davenport missed out on an opportunity to get his first collegiate victory in Blue and White, losing both of his matches on the 17th hole.

    “I felt like the opportunities were there for me to get a leg up in each match,” Davenport said. “Unfortunately both of my opponents played fantastic golf and I was unable to capitalize on some good chances to regain momentum.”

    Greenhalgh defeated Princeton senior Patrick Wasserman on the 15th hole for his first win of the season but ran into a tougher obstacle against Harvard’s Kevin McCarthy, who managed to take the match to the final hole. But Greenhalgh held him off with a birdie for his second victory of the day.

    “Winning my first two matches is the perfect start to the season and a big confidence boost,” Greenhalgh said. “My goals for the rest of the season are to continue improving my game and to make a big contribution to the team’s overall success.”

    The Bulldogs will travel to Newport National Golf Club next Monday to play in the two–day Adams Cup. The tournament will feature some of the best teams on the East Coast, including the runner–up at last season’s national championship, the University of Georgia.

    “As with any tournament we enter, our goal is to win the Adams Cup,” Hatten said. “We have the talent to contend, we will need to grind over every shot and minimize mental errors.”