As the women's golf team looked out its hotel windows Sunday at the William & Mary Invitational, Princeton saw something it thought it had left far behind — traces of snow.
The day before saw the Tigers struggle at the Ford's Colony Country Club's par-71, 5885 yard Blackheath course in Williamsburg, Va. because of bad weather. Princeton was looking to make a second-day run, but the weather thwarted a Tiger squad on the cusp of victory, canceling the final round and forcing the Tigers to accept third place.
Princeton compiled a score of 310, with Longwood College eking out a 307 and a victory. James Madison would come in second, one stroke behind Longwood with a 308. Host William & Mary ended the day in seventh.
"The team played their hearts out, especially on day two in horrendous conditions that had the play stopped after playing 10 holes in the cold, wind and rain that changed to snow," head coach Eric Stein said.
Ruinous rain
The first round Saturday was a struggle for all involved as rain persisted periodically throughout the day.
If day one was a struggle with the weather, day two seemed like a battle of biblical proportions.
With full knowledge of the day's horrible forecast, host William & Mary attempted to speed up play, starting the second round in a shotgun format, in which each foursome starts at a different hole rather than the traditional start on the first tee.
Despite the pouring rain, the Tigers staged a comeback. Sophomore Avery Kiser led the field during the second day with a tournament record 35 on the front nine. Ahead of all its opponents going into the eleventh hole, Princeton was poised to capture its second title of the season. Unfortunately, the golf gods would not cooperate.
"We were playing much better than the other teams in the wind and rain," senior Vanessa Redman said. "Our team definitely has an advantage in the cold and rainy weather because we are used to it from playing most of our tournaments in the Northeast."
The last eight holes were called on account of rain and the Tigers' offensive was thwarted. An unplayable course had defeated Princeton.
"Playing with Longwood, we definitely saw that we would have beaten them had we been able to finish," sophomore Meg Nakamura noted. "Despite the tough conditions our team was playing well and would have pulled off the win if we could have finished."
Strong finish
Princeton standout Kiser would end the day with a 74, and despite her tournament-best 35, finished one stroke off first-place Melissa Aylor of Penn. Still, the Quakers would end the tournament 10 strokes behind the Tigers in seventh place.
Nakamura was two strokes back at 76 and tied for 10th overall while fellow sophomore Taryn Haladay scored a 79 and tied for 26th overall. Freshman Emma Stachowicz and senior Megan Milam rounded out the Tigers' five competitors with an 81 and 82, respectively.
With seven strong players on this year's squad, the competition for one of the top five spots has become intense. Redman, the Tigers' sixth competitor, consequently entered the tournament as an individual and scored an 83.
Princeton is off next weekend, but travels to James Madison University the following weekend. It has its sights set on winning that tournament in preparation for the always-significant Ivy League championships April 26-27. The Tigers will see Longwood at JMU and hope to right the wrongs of last week's tournament.
Despite last weekend's disappointment, the Tigers remain optimistic about their performance this weekend and their future as a team.
"Our team definitely looks stronger this year than past years," Redman said. "We really work well together as a team, both on and off the course."
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