Third Straight Win for Golfers

The Harvard women’s golf team won its third straight competition on Saturday, comfortably beating Dartmouth and Brown in a tri-match in Hatchville, Mass., that was shortened to 18 holes from the 36 that had been scheduled because of heavy rain.

All 10 Crimson golfers played, producing strong performances both from the five playing in the team match and from those playing as individuals.

The team shot a combined 309, significantly outpacing Dartmouth (322) and Brown (334), while junior Debbie Amanti, playing as an individual, shot a tournament-low round of 73.

Though they played solidly overall, the Harvard golfers separated themselves from the competition by bulling through the tricky 10th and 14th holes mostly unimpeded while their opponents struggled.

“The 14th was like a volcano hole, a raised green that sloped off to the sides,” coach Kevin Rhoads said. “We were really happy to come out of that with [mostly] pars and only a few bogies.”

The 10th, a narrow 390-yard hole that plays even longer, was tough enough to trip up Amanti, who had been infallible elsewhere. After an even-par front nine, Amanti double-bogeyed the 10th, forcing her to dig deep to maintain her strong round.

“After I made a double on the 10th hole, I was losing my long game a little bit,” Amanti said. “In the last four holes, I had to get up and down, [and] I relied on the short game.”

Though it may seem counterintuitive, Amanti’s nerves were calmed by the pressure she and her teammates faced to qualify to be among the Crimson’s five players to play next week at the Ivy League Championships.

“It was potentially the last hurrah of the season, so there was a lot of pressure on me,” Amanti said.

Regardless of whether they felt the pressure was lifted or cranked up, the other golfers tallied excellent rounds. Among the five golfers representing the Harvard team, sophomore Ali Bode shot a 74, junior Jessica Hazlett and freshman Sarah Harvey each shot rounds of 78, sophomore Emily Balmert posted a 79, and freshman Claire Sheldon shot an 84. Sophomore Jenny Brine, competing individually, shot a 79.

“Even though we hadn’t seen the course in a year, we all kept our heads about us,” Bode said. “We just went out and played.”

Looking forward to next week’s Ivy League Championships in Trenton, N.J., the golfers expressed confidence that they could improve on their second-place performance last year.

Though it is still shaking off the rust in a season that feels like it has just begun, the Crimson will come into Trenton on a roll and with last year’s individual title to defend.

“We are challenged with this every year in the spring with the sort of weather we’re going to have this week,” Rhoads said. “We’re going to have to fight the weather this week to do what we can to prepare. But to have that many scores in the seventies, as we did this week, is a good indicator of what’s going on.”

—Staff writer Jonathan B. Steinman can be reached at steinman@fas.harvard.edu.