Cloutier hopes to repeat at Princeton Invite

The women's golf team is looking to defend its home turf this weekend as it hosts the Princeton Invitational Golf Tournament at the Springdale Golf Club. The Tigers took home the team title last fall, beating the second place Elis by 20 shots, a beating so painful that Yale decided not to attend this year's invitational.

"We were very happy with last year's finish," senior co-captain Alexis Etow said, "but this is the last Princeton Invitational for us seniors and we want win."

Senior Sharla Cloutier took home the individual title last year with a final-round 69, carding a hole-in-one on the 13th hole along with two more birdies on the final nine. She will look to repeat her title after an incredibly strong summer of play which saw her take home two titles, including the Florida State Women's Amateur.

Cloutier, last year's individual champion, echoed the excitement of her captain but added that a victory for her could bring home family bragging rights.

"Overall, I am excited to play the last home tournament of my college career, and my sister Renee is a freshman starter at St. John's, so my whole family is coming out to watch us," Cloutier said. "Having her in the field definitely increases my motivation to play well and win."

This is the first tournament for new head coach Amy Bond, a former assistant coach at a dominant Florida State program. She will look to make her mark on a program that has been ranked number one in the "Academics First" collegiate rankings by Golf Digest for the past two years.

Challenge for new coach

"Amy Bond has the challenge of coordinating the first tournament she is coaching as a Tiger — not an easy charge by any means," senior co-captain Caitlin Sullivan said. "But based on how organized, committed and forward-thinking she has been in her first days as head coach, I am sure that this weekend will be a success for all teams involved."

Organizing a collegiate tournament is not an easy task, especially when rain is in the forecast like it is for Saturday. Just ask men's head coach Will Green, who had to cut last year's men's invitational to two rounds due to rain and poor course conditions.

"Directing a tournament is full of unforeseen challenges," Green said. "But I am sure that Coach Bond will do a great job."

Luckily for Bond, she has a strong Tiger lineup to send out there. Sophomores Marlowe Boukis and Susannah Aboff, a first team all-Ivy selection, are two of the Tigers top performers from last year. With a year of experience under their belt, they are poised to take the Ivy League by storm.

Combine their talent with the senior leadership of Etow, Sullivan and Cloutier, and the Princeton women have all the ingredients to accomplish great things this year. Defending their title at the Princeton Invitational would be a good way to start.