There has been little to celebrate during the short 2006 golf season for the men’s and women’s teams. Both squads have failed to crack the top-10 since the season opened Sept. 16. This past weekend was no different, with the men’s team finishing in 11th place at the Dartmouth Invitational and the women’s team following suit, falling to the last spot in the 11-team field at the Yale Fall Intercollegiate.
The women, who play next at the Rutgers Invitational Oct. 13, buried themselves in last place after a difficult first day at the Yale tournament. Totaling 360 strokes (80 over par) at the end of Saturday, the women’s team trailed Dartmouth College for 10th place by 12 strokes. The 12-stroke lead proved to be too much for the team to overcome, despite shooting significantly better Sunday with a team total of 327.
The noticeable difference between Saturday and Sunday’s performance can be attributed to sophomore Lauren Stong’s impressive final round of 76. With a two-day total of 163, Stong was the only Terrier to finish in the top 30, earning herself a share of 29th place. Senior Dierdre Hatfield and sophomore Allison Hamilton also performed well for the team, finishing in 41st and 47th place respectively.
Unlike the women’s team, the men’s team struggled to maintain a strong first-day performance, tallying 12 more strokes Sunday than Saturday.
Holding a tight two-stroke lead over Providence College going in the final round, the men shot a team total of 339, slipping into 11th place. Although shooting poorly Sunday, the team outlasted the Massachusetts Institute of Technology by 38 strokes.
Junior Michael O’Day helped the Terriers stay afloat with scores of 82 and 80. As the most consistent golfer on the team thus far, O’Day’s 162 total was just enough for 41st place. Junior Ron Shimko shot the team’s best round at the tournament Saturday, ending his 18-hole excursion with a 79 (+7). Shimko finished in 50th place.
The men will hit the course early this weekend at the Yale-McDonald cup, teeing off at 7:45 a.m.