W. Golf Climbs Into Fourth at Yale Invite

The No. 9 hole at The Course at Yale so haunts the college golfer’s existence that Harvard sophomore Carrie Baizer bogeyed it both days at this weekend’s Yale Invitiational and considered herself lucky.

The hole, infamously treacherous for its tricky tee shot over water and nasty, undulating green, allowed Baizer a very favorable lie in a hazard yesterday—an “almost unheard of” occurence, she said—and she promptly converted it for a respectable showing on the difficult par-3.

That bit of good fortune helped carry Baizer to a second-round score of 81, second-lowest of all Harvard women yesterday, as the Crimson rallied for a fourth-place overall finish in New Haven, Conn.

Harvard, who placed sixth out of 15 teams placed at last week’s Dartmouth Invitational, ranked ninth at Yale after Saturday’s opening round before leapfrogging five spots yesterday.

Harvard junior Kathryn Kuchefski, a transfer from Amherst, continued to impress in her first season with the Crimson, finishing as the team’s top scorer with a 16-over 156.

Junior Meredith Chiampa tied for 21st place with a 79-82—161. Baizer was tied for 27th.

“It was pretty exciting for us,” Baizer said. “Each stroke really counted in this tournament. The best part was how we played better [on Sunday compared to Saturday]. Last year, a lot of our scores were higher the second day.”

Penn State won the tourney by 20 strokes, buoyed by Katie Futcher’s astounding 3-under-par finish.

Futcher, who is reportedly mulling a move to the professional ranks, posted the only red number of the tourney when she shot a 67 on Saturday. Her next closest competitor finished at 9-over, 12 strokes off the pace.

Yale placed second overall this weekend. The Elis, obviously, were aided by their familiarity with what is widely considered to be the most difficult college course in the country.

“It’s target golf,” Baizer said of the style of play required by Yale’s layout. “There are a lot of holes where if you don’t hit it precisely, you’re in a lot of trouble. We all had some tough holes.”

None were tougher than No. 9, which featured a particularly tricky pin-placement at the back of the 65-yard deep green on Saturday. Harvard sophomore Jeen-Joo Kang was one of the few competitors to nail her approach shot in the tiny landing space beyond the depression that divides the green in two. The placement was moved to the front of the green for yesterday’s round, about 20 yards nearer to the tee.

Kang finished with a 30-over 170, good for a tie for 43rd place.

“It’s a very challenging course, but it’s one that gets more enjoyable every time you play it,” said freshman Jennifer Cronan, who finished tied for 51st place with a 35-over 175. “I’m definitely looking forward to playing it again next year now that I’ve got two rounds under my belt.”

The Crimson returns to the links next weekend, when it will play at the Mt. Holyoke Invitational.

—Staff writer Brian E. Fallon can be reached at bfallon@fas.harvard.edu.