In first spring tournament, Princeton shines

While Princetonians were suffering through the recent cold temperatures and bad weather, the Princeton women's golf team was in the process of playing some stellar golf at the Pinehurst Challenge in Pinehurst, North Carolina.

The Tigers finished a successful fall season several months ago after winning the Princeton Invitational and Yale Fall Intercollegiate; the team also finished second at the Ross Resorts Invitational. In all three of these events they placed just ahead of Ivy League rival Harvard — a notable result that has implications for Ivy League Championship later this spring.

Junior Annika Welander, sophomore Marlowe Boukis, freshman Michelle Grilli, senior Sharla Cloutier, and sophomore Susannah Aboff were the five participating golfers at Pinehurst. All five players are nationally ranked based on individual performance. This explains the fact that the team is ranked No. 35 in the nation, ahead of all other Ivy League teams, none of which were in the top 50.

Because the Tigers are unable to play or practice on grass during the winter season, this was a great opportunity for the women to finally get out on a course and play for real. The advantage in this regard goes to the southern teams who are able to play throughout the year.

"Chipping, pitching and putting on a Pinehurst green without any real practice for four or five months is like trying to pick up change with ski gloves on your hands," as Welander described it.

"Since we had not had the opportunity to play on grass, I think the team performed very well at Pinehurst," head coach Amy Bond said. "With the first tournament of the spring you never know what to expect. All winter we worked on being mentally prepared to play and it paid off. The course and conditions were tough, but the team hung in there and adjusted ... overall, our ball striking and mental toughness were excellent."

Despite the disadvantage, the Orange & Black did fare well in the tournament. They finished sixth out of 17 teams, falling four strokes behind Coastal Carolina University in the five spot. East Carolina University ended up winning over North Carolina State in a playoff with both teams tied at 35 above par. The Tigers totaled 51 over par.

Leading the Tigers was Cloutier, who finished tied at sixth with a nine over par, 153 stroke outing. Aboff was tied at 19th at 12 above par, Welander was tied at 38th with a 16 above par round, Boukis was tied at 41st at 17 above par, and Grilli was tied at 45th at 18 above par. All the players thus had very good showings in the invitational.

"Considering it was our first tournament of the spring, as well as our first time playing outside this year, I think we played well. We really focused on the process and tried to visualize each shot prior to execution. Having a good mental game makes the transition from winter to spring much easier. Staying relaxed, confident, and patient is key at this point in the season," said Cloutier.

Some other accomplishments at the tournament included 16 birdies and 92 pars, as well as being fifth and fourth overall for Par 3 and Par 4 holes, respectively. However, they did lose a little ground on the Par 5s at 12 over par.

All in all the Tigers looked good at the Pinehurst Invitational and the players are excited to start the spring season off well.

"Pinehurst was a great warm-up, but we're just getting started. We know what we need to work on, so now it's a matter of getting out there and racking up some tournament rounds," Cloutier said. "These girls can really play, and I'm expecting great things this weekend at Texas A&M and throughout the rest of the season."