Led by a fourth place finish by Sara Vogler '96, the women's golf team took fifth place at the University of Hartford's Invitational Tournament last weekend.
Princeton took top team honors, shooting 658 (325-333). The Lady Tigers were followed by Yale and Rutgers. Host Hartford took fourth place, leaving the Big Green in fifth with their two round score of 712 (358-354).
A trio of Tigers swept the top spots in the meet as Mary Moan of Princeton took medalist honors with a two round total of 157 (78-79). Sarah Snyder and Laura Gilmore were not far behind, at 159 and 160, respectively. Vogler and Yale's Natalie Wong tied for fourth.
"She had a chance to pull it in a bit on the first day, but she is definitely at the point where she can be a contender next time," co-Captain Jami Papa '96 said of her teammate.
Also scoring well for the Big Green were Meredith Johnson '98 (93-87 180), who placed 20th in the meet, and Jessica Hughes '97 (94-90 184).
All five members of the team shot better at this tournament than they did the week before on Cape Cod.
On Cape Cod the team faced sleet and bitter cold. At the Wampanoag Country Club in Hartford, however, conditions were mild and dry, although the course was a little wet.
"They were able to move and swing a little better. It was really the reverse of Cape Cod where the weather was cold and the course was dry," Coach Izzy Johnson said.
The layout of the course may have helped the team's cause as well. It was designed by Donald Ross, the same man who designed the course in Cape Cod and who designed the course the team will play on in two weeks. Papa said for that reason she and her teammates were more prepared for what they faced in Hartford.
Johnson pointed out that Ross's courses are nice for women to play as the placement of the women's tees does not seem to be an "afterthought."
"The course was hilly and it had a lot of elevated greens, so you had to hit it long. Its yardage was pretty short, but it seemed long," Vogler said. "Because it was wet the ball didn't really roll well."
Johnson mentioned that the bunkers were a factor as well.
"It was a little deceptive because it looks like he puts his traps not far from the greens, but really they were far away," she said.
Course design aside, the biggest challenge the team faced in the tournament was due to the fact that the wet weather has delayed the opening of the Hanover Country Club.
"Our biggest problem was that everybody hit better but because we haven't had our course greens, we haven't been able to work on our short shots," the coach said.
With the next weekend off, the women are hoping that the course will open before the team travels to Mount Holyoke and Amherst for the Northeast Championships April 27-28.
