Golf: Aboff, Boukis split crown at Kiawah

After two rounds of play, Aboff stood one shot over par, three strokes ahead of her classmate. In the final round, however, Boukis rallied with a four-over 76, while Aboff shot a 79 to finish tied for the tournament win. The first-place finish was Aboff’s second of the month, following her win in the ECAC Championship at Williamsburg, Va., in early October.

As a team, Princeton finished with a combined score of 924. The Tigers were paced by junior Michelle Grilli, who finished in a tie for 23rd place with a three-round total of 233 (plus 17). Princeton was also aided by the performances of sophomores Maggie Boberg and Kate Scarpetta, who finished tied for 63rd and tied for 78th, respectively.

On the men’s side, the Tigers entered Sunday in 15th place out of 15 teams in the Columbia Invitational. Facing a daunting uphill climb, Princeton posted a strong final round to rise to 12th place thanks to the best performances of the weekend by four of its five scorers.

Senior captain Drew Maliniak finished the weekend with the top score among Princeton golfers, a one-over 72. Maliniak’s final round was particularly impressive considering that the best single-round score carded by any competitor in the tournament was a 70. Maliniak is a former staff writer for The Daily Princetonian.

Despite rough conditions, including a Tiger squad that had just finished midterms, the team’s play picked up as the weekend progressed. Freshman Chase Lovett-Woodsum showed steady progress, cutting his score from 10-over to nine-over to plus six on the tournament’s final day. Senior Max Schechter also improved dramatically after shooting his first two rounds in the 80s, posting a final-round 76. Freshman Patrick Wasserman and sophomore Eric Salazar rounded out the scoring group with scores of 244 and 255.

“It was definitely a tough week for us,” Maliniak said. “Due to midterms, several of the guys, including myself, did not play a practice round at a very difficult Galloway National. The scorecard does not handicap excuses. But I know I felt out of sorts the first day.”

The Tigers looked sluggish coming out during the first two days. Even Maliniak, who put in the team’s best overall performance, shot an 85 on the opening day. Consistently unlocking the potential the team demonstrated on Sunday will be the key for Princeton’s success this spring.

“I feel that the team is still meshing,” Maliniak said, “but our attitude is improving every day.”

That should be good news for the Tigers, as they will have 160 days to improve and grow together before their next official round. The Marshall Competition takes place on April 3 in West Virginia and will be the Tigers’ next opportunity to prove just how much they have progressed.