M. Golf Takes 12th at Yale's Spring Opener

Harvard senior golfer Cliff Ryan didn’t fare quite as well as Tiger Woods at this weekend’s Yale Spring Opener. But he came close.

“I hit like 14 greens,” joked Ryan, who fired a second-day 78 and finished in the middle of the pack of the 21-team tournament. “Tiger probably hit 14 greens. I couldn’t putt.”

“If I could get off the greens,” he added, “I’ll be golden.”

The Crimson finished just 12th—one stroke behind Bryant and Fordham, and ahead of Ivy rivals Brown and Dartmouth—but began to consolidate some of its gains made since its spring break trip in California.

“We didn’t play great,” said a measured Ryan, “but we definitely made strides.”

Added senior Chris Wu, who had the highest Crimson score of the weekend with an eighth-best 147 over two rounds: “We found our game.”

For Harvard, playing essentially its first regular tournament of the year, battling rust from offseason inaction was only one quandary to conquer.

After a rough winter of heavy snows, the greens at The Course at Yale were a challenge.

“The grass was not really, really true,” Wu said. “But their greens always play tough. They’re very big, undulating, and different-tiered.”

Ryan added that “the course was in pretty rough shape.”

“It was different from the greens everyone saw on TV [at The Masters’ Augusta National],” Ryan said. “These had holes and sand in them.”

Wu shot an impressive 73 during yesterday’s action to nail down a top-10 finish out of 126 from a range of athletic conferences. UConn’s A.J. Sierskierski won the tournament with a 143, four strokes ahead of Wu.

“I hit the ball well,” Wu said. “I didn’t score well putting-wise, but I’m happy about the way I’m playing.”

Junior D.J. Hynes finished second on the team—and No. 44 overall—with a 155. He shot a 76 on Sunday.

Ryan finished No. 64. Freshman Sam Lissner shot a 159 and senior Matt Amis finished with a 176 to round out the team scores.

The team used the weekend as a lead-in to next weekend’s crucial Ivy League championships, which will be held in Hamburg, N.J.

The team did especially well down the stretch.

“We were surprised that we didn’t gain much ground on the field,” Wu said.

Added Ryan of next week: “I think with Chris especially, we have a decent chance [in the Ivies].”

In the end, the team returned to Harvard in time to watch the last three holes of The Masters. Traditionally, the team has had playing obligations during Masters time.

Ryan remained impervious to the conflict.

“We’re used to it,” Ryan said.

Similarly, the team will try to shake off its winter residue in time for the Ivy League championships. They’re as major as they get.

—Staff writer Alex McPhillips can be reached at rmcphill@fas.harvard.edu.