Harvard finishes second of 11 teams at William and Mary Invitational

The Harvard women’s golf team broke its one-day low score record on Saturday for the second time this season. The Crimson’s total score of 301, a two-stroke improvement over the previous record, earned the team second place in a field of 11 colleges at the William and Mary Invitational.

The team was greeted with rain when it arrived at the Kiskiack Golf Club in Williamsburg, Va. on Friday. Harvard got through only seven holes of its practice round before the rain rendered the course unplayable. The rain did not abate and the tournament was shortened to one day after the weather forced the cancellation of Saturday’s round.

Sunday, the rain stopped and the tournament commenced despite the wet conditions. Harvard hadn’t practiced every hole, so the team started off a little unsure of how to play the course, according to coach Kevin Rhoads. The rain had made the greens especially tough to decipher, but the team adjusted to the conditions and was able to play a successful round of golf.

According to Rhoads, everyone on the team enjoyed the course and once the Crimson got used to it, the team was able to improve its scores substantially.

Freshman Emily Balmert had a seven-stroke improvement on the back nine and was Harvard’s low scorer with a one-over 73. Her three-under 33 on the back nine was a key element in the Harvard’s second-place finish. Junior Jacqueline Rooney (44-38—82) and sophomore Jessica Hazlett (40-37—77) also improved on the back nine.

These improvements, coupled with solid performances by freshman Ali Bode (75) and sophomore Debbi Amanti (76), propelled Harvard up the standings, but William and Mary surpassed the Crimson in the end by two strokes.

The Crimson has next weekend off and will play the final tournament of its fall season, the ECAC Championships, on Oct. 22 and 23.

—ELYSE N. HANSON