W. Golf Finishes Sixth At Ivies

Fresh into its spring season, the Harvard women’s golf team took to the course this weekend in the Ivy League Championships in East Hampton, N.Y.

Seven teams competed at this weekend’s Ivy League tournament—including Brown, Princeton, Dartmouth, and Yale, Columbia and Penn—with 34 players in total.

After the first day of competition, the Crimson finished in seventh place. But on day two, after finishing the total three rounds of competition, Harvard was able to move up one spot, ending the competition yesterday in sixth place—two places below last year’s fourth-place finish.

Princeton, the 2004 Ivy League champion, grabbed the title for the second consecutive year.

The team was disappointed with its finish in one of the most important tournaments of its season.

“This was one of the most important games of the season, but unfortunately we just didn’t have it,” freshman Katie Loncke said. “This is what we were working towards, so it was disappointing that none of us had a good showing.”

Senior Jeen-Joo Kang attributed the below-average performance of the team at the tournament to the difficulty of the competitive atmosphere and environment.

“I think our whole team struggled a bit this weekend because it is a very difficult course,” Kang said. “The conditions were tough. There was a strong wind coming off the ocean and it was hard to compete with.”

Kang, the Crimson’s top scorer, tied for a ninth-place finish.

In her first round, Kang shot an 89, followed by an 84 in round two. In her final round, Kang shot an 85 to finish with a total of 258.

Kang’s finish at this year’s tournament continues a string of improving performances at Ivies. She went from 28th place in 2003 to 15th place in 2004.

Kang attributed her progress to a better understanding of how to compete.

“I’ve developed a better tournament game and I am better at dealing with pressure,” she said.

Finishing under Kang was Loncke, who tied for 14th place, shooting 88-82-95—265.

“My performance was disappointing to say the least, but I’m glad to have had the experience,” Loncke said. “I wish I could have played better, but the course we played on was tough for everyone.”

Rounding out Harvard’s contingent was freshman Debbie Amanti who placed 30th with a score of 281. Junior Jennifer Cronan finished 32th, shooting 289, and freshman Jessica Hazlet finished two strokes below Cronan with 291, which tied for 33rd place.

Sophomore Cindy Shin of Yale won the competition with a total score of 230, one stroke ahead of second-place finisher Meg Nakamura of the champion team, Princeton.

The Crimson has a busy weekend ahead as it competes in the Massachusetts State Championships on Friday followed by the New England Championships on Saturday and Sunday. Both events will take place in Amherst, Mass.