M. golf hosts only home meet; women at James Madison

This weekend both the men's and women's golf teams hope to drive, chip and putt their way to success as they set their sights on good entrance-standing for the Ivy League Championships, which will take place the following weekend.

The men's squad will welcome 24 teams from around the nation, including 18 of the top 20 programs from Princeton's region, when they host the Princeton Invitational.

The event, which was canceled last year due to inclement weather, will be the Tigers' first home competition in nearly two years, and the players are looking forward to the opportunity to play the course they know best.

"We are very much looking forward to a weekend on campus, sleeping in our own beds and playing a course that lends itself well to home course knowledge," sophomore Jason Gerken said.

After a few disappointing tournaments this season, especially in district competition, the men are beginning to get back into the swing of things and are looking to boost their rankings for Ivies with a strong showing this weekend.

In order to do this the Tigers will be working hard this week to mend past flaws, which, according to Gerken, include not giving shots away at the end of a round and more precise putting. The Tigers know that mental preparation is also key, especially with their 21st Ivy championship in sight.

Princeton will be entering two teams into the two-day tournament. Under college golf regulations, each team consists of five players, with the top four scores from each round being counted towards the team score.

"Expectations are high for this weekend," head coach Will Green said. "Competing on your home course is an advantage for sure. The key is for two or three players in the starting lineup to get hot and put up sub-par rounds and have the others hang around par. If we do that, we stand a very good chance of winning."

The team will be up against some tough competition though, as elite programs such as Georgetown, Rutgers, Richmond, Liberty and James Madison will all be vying for victory.

But the Tigers certainly have the potential to come out on top this weekend and head comfortably into the Ivies, as long as they remain focused.

Women at James Madison

The successful women's team is entering into this weekend's competition at James Madison with a similar mindset as the men, as their Ivy League Championships are also nearing.

Though the team has experienced an ample amount of success all year long, raking in firstand second-place awards, they suffered a third-place finish two weeks ago at the William & Mary Invitational, when they succumbed to Yale by one stroke. The loss was a blow to the players' confidence and has been a thorn in their side ever since.

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"Playing at James Madison will give us an extra confidence boost as we head into Ivies," freshman Sharla Cloutier said. "We're looking forward to the chance to show Yale who's the boss after last week's bobble."

The team is also looking forward to the warm weather and sunny skies that a Virginian course has to offer, as opposed to the recent not-so-lovely New Jersey weather of 40 degrees and raining.

"We have really been struggling to get ample playing time as the weather has been anything but cooperative," senior Avery Kiser said. "And we really look to our competitions to gain confidence and get some quality on-course time."

Kiser, along with Cloutier and junior Meg Nakamura, is one of the team's strongest players and will be looked towards to deliver a strong performance this weekend, according to head coach Eric Stein.

The women hosted their Princeton Invitational back in September, winning the 16-team event.

Both teams are excited to compete this weekend, not only to achieve success, but also in preparation for the looming Ivy League Championships — next weekend in Jackson for the men and in Trenton for the women.