The women's golf team braved icy winds and sleet at the Oyster Hills Golf Course on Cape Cod this weekend to finish fifth in an 11-team Easter tournament hosted by the Boston College Lady Eagles.
It was the Big Green's first competition in the Northeast since returning from its spring trip in Texas.
The women were in fourth place at the end of the competition on Saturday but dropped to fifth after play on Sunday, carding a 742 for the weekend. Princeton's team took top honors with a score of 683.
The Tigers were followed by Yale, Rutgers and the University of Hartford. Finishing below Dartmouth were host Boston College, Harvard, Boston University, Amherst and Holyoke.
Boston College's Katie Shields took home medalist honors with her two-round score of 163.
Senior Sara Vogler led the Big Green, placing ninth overall with consistent scores of 87 on both Saturday and Sunday. Meredith Johnson '98 followed Vogler, shooting 182 (9587). Jessica Hughes '97 also played well, shooting 189 (9396).
Temperatures hovered between cold and very cold Saturday and were below freezing leading to drizzle on Sunday. Winds coming off the ocean added to the linksters' difficulties.
"I have never played in weather that cold in my life, in any sport," Hughes said. "It was really frustrating. We were just trying to get back into the swing of things, playing New England golf."
Though it did not make up for the inclement weather, all of the women agreed that the private course the tournament was held on was a privilege to play on.
"It was a really nice course in incredible condition considering how early it was in the season," Vogler said.
In addition to being in exceptionally good shape, the golfers reported that the par four holes were very long and sand traps were abundant, making for a challenging outing.
"There was a lot of sand on the course and you had to play smart golf to stay out of the bunkers," co-Captain Heidi Corderman '96 said.
Vogler pointed out another oddity of the course, but said it neither hurt nor helped the team's scores.
"There was no out of bounds. I think it is one of the few courses in the country like that," she said.
Here in Hanover, the team is still awaiting the opening of the Hanover Country Club. Until the weather warms up and the links dry out, the women will continue to practice on the driving range, making it difficult for them to prepare for competition as they normally would.
Next weekend the team will travel to the University of Hartford to take part in its tournament on Friday and Saturday, competing against many of the same teams that they faced on Cape Cod.
