Field no match for Princeton

The women's golf team defended its home course this weekend at the Princeton Invitational, beating second-place Harvard by 18 shots, setting a new team scoring record in the process and winning the Invitational for the fourth year in a row.

"I don't think we could have imagined a better start to the season than leading after the first round with a record-breaking team total of 290 and defending the team title for the fourth year in a row," senior co-captain Alexis Etow said.

Junior Annika Welander posted a Saturday round score of 69 en route to taking home her first collegiate title.

She was not the only Princeton golfer to find success at the Springdale Golf Club. All five Tigers placed in the top six in the field as sophomore Marlowe Boukis finished in a tie for second, sophomore Susannah Aboff finished fourth and senior Sharla Cloutier and freshman Michelle Grilli tied for sixth.

Capping off an eventful weekend, new head coach Amy Bond earned her first victory at the helm of the Tiger team while directing her first collegiate tournament.

"I'm not sure Coach Bond could have had a better start to what is sure to be a long Tiger tenure — we broke a team scoring record, beat our nearest competitor by 18 shots and now she has the preparation and logistics of running a tournament behind her," senior co-captain Caitlin Sullivan said.

The Tigers opened up a 13-shot lead in the opening round, netting a two-over par 290 as a team. It was an eventful round as Welander played the front nine under par and maintained her focus throughout a tough back nine.

"Annika's 69 is phenomenal, especially since she maintained her composure and stellar play throughout the back nine of the first day, fully aware of the number she [could] ultimately post," Sullivan said. "We're really proud of her and thrilled that she won the Individual title."

Men finish 14th

The men's golf team was also in action this weekend, playing in the St. John's McLaughlin Invitational at Bethpage State Park, N.Y. The Tigers could not match the women's success, however, finishing 14th.

There was a bright spot as senior co-captain John Sawin fired an opening round 69, which was the lowest Princeton round for the tournament. Subsequent rounds of 75 and 78, however, left him in a tie for 50th place.

Two freshmen, Juan Candela and Jake Skinner, saw their first action in the varsity lineup this weekend, giving them much-needed experience for the season to come.

Candela finished in a tie for 58th and Skinner in a tie for 78th. Candela is the highest-rated recruit ever to play golf for Coach Green, and the weekend looked promising after opening rounds of 72 and 72, however, a final-round 79 caused him to fall from the leader board.

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The Tigers play next weekend in Williamsburg, Va., at the Joe Agee Invitational hosted by the College of William and Mary.

"The good thing is that we are all close to playing great and this tournament let us know what we need to work on in the coming weeks," senior co-captain Brent Herlihy said. "I think with a solid week of preparation we should be in shape for a strong finish next weekend at William and Mary."