The Dartmouth men's and women's golf teams began their seasons in tough conditions this past weekend when the men's team traveled to the Yale men's Spring Open in New Haven, Conn., and the women traveled to Cape Cod Country Club in Hatchville, Mass., to compete against Harvard and Brown in a triangular match.
The men's team finished in 15th place out of 27 teams present while the women came in third. Harvard's teams came in first in both events.
The conditions of the course made the traditionally difficult Yale University Golf Course even more challenging, although the course was shortened slightly, which prevented scores from ballooning too high.
Still, there were only three rounds below par and, of the three competitors who shot below par, each shot 76, six over par, in his other round.
Men's team captain Jamie Wallace '08 attributes the generally high scores across the board to the difficult greens.
"It was difficult to score well because the weather has not been good enough in New Haven yet for the greens to start growing again," Wallace said. "They were extremely bumpy and slow, some of the worst I have played a tournament on, making one-putts nearly impossible."
Wallace posted the weekend's top performance for the men's Big Green, shooting an impressive 72 -- two over par -- on Sunday, following the 73 he shot on Saturday. Wallace finished the tournament tied for seventh place, two strokes behind Harvard junior Michael Shore, who shot a tournament-best 73-70-143.
"I was pleased with the way I hit the ball," Wallace said, "but, like the rest of the field, I could barely make any putts."
The other Big Green men's golfers did not fare as well.
Davis Mullany '11 finished tied for 57th, Dan Egan '10 finished tied for 85th and Rob Henley '09 finished tied for 98th. The team's 15th place finish out of the 27 teams was respectable, however, given the unsuitable winter weather that has hindered the team's practices in Hanover.
"The lack of practice time is definitely an issue but not one that we can't overcome," Wallace said. "We can hit balls in Leverone and we play practice rounds the day before the tournament, both of which do help us to prepare. We should improve with each tournament as we play more and more."
The women's team had a disappointing weekend, competing against Harvard and Brown in its annual triangular match. The team finished in last place, scoring 342-347-689.
Elizabeth Dupuy '08 was the individual top scorer for the Big Green, shooting 83-86-169, 27 over par, and finishing 12th. Lauren Strickler '09 finished just behind her, tied for 13th, shooting 82-89-179.
"I think that everyone was a little disappointed by how we played this weekend, especially after our strong performance at William & Mary two weeks ago," coach Kevin Gibson said.
Harvard's women's team had an impressive weekend, with all of the top five finishers coming from the Crimson squad. Emily Balmert finished first, shooting a 75-77-152, 10 over par.
The conditions on Cape Cod were not ideal, especially on Sunday with temperatures in the 30s and high winds.
"The course was not in good shape and it was getting really hard to get up and down, especially on Sunday," Strickler said.
A lack of practice time compounded the team's problems.
"We came back home after William & Mary and have been inside the past two weeks," Gibson said. "It really showed in everyone's short game."
Strickler had a similar critique about Dartmouth's game on the course.
"Hitting cayman balls in Leverone is just not the same by any means," Strickler said. "Our short games really suffered."
The men will compete again this weekend at the New England Division I championship at Triggs Memorial Golf Club in Providence, R.I. The women will be back in action at the Ivy League championship on April 18 -20, at Atlantic City Country Club in Northfield, N.J.
