W. Golf Struggles at ECAC Championships

If nothing else, the weather was perfect.

This weekend, four Harvard women golfers journeyed to the Blue Fox Run Golf Club in Hartford, Conn., for their final event of the fall, the ECAC Championships.

The Crimson began the two-day, 36-hole event already at a disadvantage because sophomore Courtney Leimkuhler was injured. That meant Harvard was without the normal margin of error, because the top four out of five scores make up the team total.

Sophomore Marcie Chan, junior captain Jennifer Laine, senior Catherine Kreindler and junior Jessica Bowen all had to step up their play.

"We tried our best, but I thought the course was too long," Chan said.

The par-72 course was close to 6,000 yards off the ladies' tee. The high scores reflected the lack of birdie opportunities and the challenging distance.

"The length had me struggling for pars and having to rely on my short game too much," Laine said.

Despite their struggles in the first round and their discontent with their individual scores, which they refused to speak to The Crimson about, the players still netted a 398 total score for the first day. It was their lowest one-day score of the fall season.

In the second round on Sunday, the team score was again a 398, demonstrating the Crimson's consistency.

"We were not happy with our own scores, but as a team we are still optimistic about our potential," Chan said.

To qualify for the tournament, each of the women had to average an 18-hole score of 115. With the two sub-400 performances, the team was at least playing up to its potential.

"We have a very young team and not a lot of tournament experience, so it's clear that we are in a transition year," Laine said.

Both Bowen and Kreindler are walkons this year and have played only a handful of rounds so far.

At last year's event, the Crimson placed 15th out of 21 teams. Harvard's score this year left it in 18th place, but team members said they are looking at the fall season as a springboard for the one that counts.

"We are looking at the ECACs merely as a warm-up for the spring tournaments," Laine said.

Chan also conveyed the feelings of optimism among the team.

"Coach [Warren] Smith is a great motivator, we have a great group of girls, and we're still having fun," she said.