The Dartmouth women's golf team finished fourth out of nine teams at the Sacred Heart Invitational this weekend, shooting a team score of 674, 98 strokes over par.
Host Sacred Heart University took first place with a 639, 67 over par. Brown University was 16 strokes back in second place, shooting a 655, 83 over par. Boston University finished in third with a 662, 92 over par.
Lauren Strickler '09 led the Big Green to its best finish of the year, shooting 12 over, 156. A 79 on the first day left her in a four-way tie for third place, three strokes behind day-one leader Joanne Martorana of Sacred Heart University, but she improved on day two, shooting a 77 to earn a second-place finish in the individual table.
"I've been frustrated with my play this fall, especially since for the past three years I've played well for the most part," Strickler said. "But this weekend I just came out relaxed and had more fun. It was exciting."
Katie Gulemi '11 was second for the Big Green in scoring with a 170, 26 over par. Kathleen Quirk '12 finished with a 173, 29 over par, and Marietta Smith '12 rounded out the scoring for the Big Green with a 175, 31 over par.
Despite the fourth-place finish, the performance will not be an improvement for the Big Green, which had a worse score than the 647 it shot three weeks ago at its last competition, the Eastern College Athletic Conference Tournament. The difficulty of the course at Great River Golf Club in Milford, Conn., however, may also have contributed to the higher scores.
"The course played difficult with some tricky holes, especially on the back nine," Strickler said. "It required good shot-making and a solid short game. It definitely wasn't the hardest course we played, but it's one that we haven't seen before, so that presents a new challenge."
While the new course may have added a different element to the Big Green's preparation, Strickler still thinks the team could have performed better.
"I think we have much more potential than we showed," Strickler said. "I thought we all did well in the practice round, so we should have done better, but it was still a good experience."
The tournament will be seen as a learning experience for the young Big Green team. Out of the seven players on roster, there are three freshmen and two sophomores, along with the two senior captains.
"It's good to play so late in the year," Strickler said. "It's hard coming in freshman fall: There's lots of pressure already and then to add golf to it is tough. But the experience is good."
Led by Strickler and Smith, the Big Green posted a six-stroke improvement on the second day of play, unlike at the ECAC tournament where the team shot worse. Smith especially played better, shooting nine strokes better the second day. Strickler herself improved two strokes, but Smith bounced back from a first-round 92 and carded an 83 on day two to improve her score by nine strokes and finish in sole possession of 24th place.
Dartmouth finished 19 strokes back of the only other Ivy League team in the tournament, Brown. Along with powers Harvard and Princeton, Brown makes three teams the Big Green will look to upset at the Ivy League Championships this spring. Strickler, however, says that the potential is great and that come spring, the team may be coming together.
"I think everybody's had at least one good tournament this fall," Strickler said. "I think right now it's just about course management and taking it one shot at a time. That all comes with experience."
"Also it's about enjoying yourself. Right now it's a period of adjustment for the freshmen but once you start having fun, you get more experienced and you grow mature. There are only good things to come of this team."
This was the first season in which the Big Green has participated in a tournament this late in the fall. The team hopes that the high finish will bring a strong spring season.
