After tucking in her fifth birdie putt in the first round of the Red Bandana Invitational in Canton, Mass., Sophia Li ’29 walked to the 18th hole with a gargantuan five-stroke lead. After a par on the final hole, Li finished with a -4 for the round, the lowest first-round score in Dartmouth women’s golf history. She held onto her lead to finish with an impressive +1 score across the three rounds, winning the Invitational in her first college tournament.
“It was such a cool experience seeing Sophia win,” captain Sophie Thai ’26 said. “It was so impressive seeing her deal with all the pressure with ease and have such a great start to her season.”
Li’s individual victory helped lead the Big Green to second place as a team, falling just one stroke short of tournament hosts Boston College. Impressive scores of +7 from Olivia Cong ’28, +9 from captain Hope Hall ’26 and +11 from fellow freshman Claire Wan ’29 contributed to the team’s overall score of +23. Thai, who finished sixth in her senior season opener at The Southern in Statesboro, Ga., also contributed with a score of +15. The close defeat for the team was frustrating, according to Hall, but it also left them with a lot of positives.
“The team played really well,” Hall said. “Yes, we really wanted to win and could have saved some shots off, but overall, I’m very proud of them.”
Li began her golfing career when she was six, learning from her father and older sister who often took her to the range and course. As a “very competitive child,” Li was drawn to the game and the chance to reach the top levels. As she’s gained experience, she remains committed to golf because it combines routine with imagination.
“There’s so much creativity in the game, so it never gets boring,” Li said. “Even when you’re doing reps on the range, it’s hard to replicate the same swing every time … so the sport keeps it interesting for me.”
More than a decade later, Li has fine-tuned every aspect of her game, with an emphasis on golf’s mental side. In her first month at Dartmouth, Li has worked with senior associate athletics director Ian Connole on mentally preparing for tournaments.
“He's done a lot of work on my mental game,” Li said. “Golf is a very long period of stress, and you are often experiencing it for five hours, so talking to someone who’s experienced with that and working through the mental block was really helpful.”
Connole’s efforts have already made an impact. Despite the nerves of her first college tournament, Li’s steadiness on the course made an impression on the team and helped drive her to the victory.
“She has a really good mental game,” Hall said. “She doesn’t get super rattled and has a good amount of confidence in herself, so she was able to bounce back from any mistakes she made.”
In his recruitment process, head coach Alex Kirk was drawn to Li’s impressive junior golf record, including two New York state girls titles in 2022 and 2024, and to her commitment to the program. His recruiting philosophy, which drew Li and Wan to the program this year, is to look for both performance and enthusiasm.
“I feel like I have that gut feeling when you meet someone if you can tell they love Dartmouth, and I feel really fortunate with our recruits,” Kirk said.
Together, this group of girls has created a supportive team environment for new golfers. For most recruits who play their most competitive high school golf individually, the transition to the team-focused college competition is seamless at Dartmouth while adding a new collaborative element to the sport.
“My teammates are very welcoming and loving,” Li said. “It also helps that we’re counting four scores out of five or six in each round, so if you really do have a really bad round, it doesn't count.”
While the team doesn’t compete together on tournament day, they often bond on the course during practice. Hall, Thai and the other upperclassmen have also emphasized hanging out off the course to improve their team chemistry.
“We all hang out on and off the course and enjoy each others’ company,” Thai said. “It makes practices and traveling a lot of fun, and allows us to truly savor the experience.”
Looking ahead, Li and the team will look to build on their strong start at the Princeton Invitational this weekend. They will finish their fall season with the Battle at the Beach tournament in Rehoboth Beach, Del., before returning to action in the spring. Even if the team fell just short at the Red Bandana Invitational, Kirk’s goals for the season remain steadfastly clear.
“I’m not just here to drive the bus,” Kirk said. “We’re trying to win another Ivy League Championship.”
