Sophomore Ku leads Tigers at Princeton Invitational

This past weekend, the Princeton women’s golf team hosted the Princeton Invitational, the lone event at the team's home course, Springdale Golf Club. The Tigers placed fourth in the 12-team field with sophomore Hana Ku finishing in a tie for second place overall.

This Princeton Invitational — the 17thedition — provided two specific challenges for its participants — one expected and one less so.On Saturday, the competitors were tasked with playing two rounds of full 18-hole golf, a mentally and physically tiring endeavor for even the most experienced player. On Sunday, strong winds and low temperatures wreaked havoc on the scorecards, raising numbers across the board.

Coach Erika DeSanty, in the midst of her first fall at the helm of the women’s squad, praised her team’s performance duringSaturday’s marathon, saying, “Our endurance and consistency were great overall.” The team shot 300 and 301 on the day, good for fourth place and within nine shots of co-leaders Columbia and Yale. Uncannily, the top four performers who make up the overall team score all carded identical totals in both rounds, a testament to the team’s focus and consistency.

DeSanty singled out Ku and freshman Caroline Araskog for their stellar playing on Saturday. Ku fired back-to-back 72s to finish in second place at even par, three shots behind then-leader Sandy Wongwaiwate (Yale). Araskog, playing in Princeton’s fifth position, impressed with two 77s, which were instrumental in keeping the team in contention.

Sunday, however, was more of a struggle for the hosts, as the pleasant weather ofSaturdaygave way to wind and cold. The Tigers were not immune to the conditions and shot a high though respectable 312. Overall, the Orange and Black finished in fourth place at 913 behind Columbia (908), Rollins College (907) and runaway winner Yale (896).

The standout of the weekend for the Tigers was undeniably Ku. Her 220 earned a tie for second place alongside Yale’s Wongwaite, just one shot behind overall winner Marika Liu, also of Yale. Calling Ku “a great technical player” and “one of the best players in the Ivy League,” DeSanty credited the sophomore’s strong play with a fortified mentality, saying, “Her confidence is the biggest change in her game right now.”

This weekend’s play also provided a glimpse of how the Ivy League field might shape up come spring, as six of the 12 competing teams were Ivy members. Princeton finished comfortably ahead of Penn (931), Dartmouth (955) and Brown (973) though it could not catch third place Columbia and champion Yale. Harvard, the defending Ivy League champion, was absent from the tournament. DeSanty believes that when the spring season begins, the Tigers will be able to compete for the Ivy crown. “There’s no question Columbia, Yale and Harvard have incredible depth and so much talent,” she emphasized, "[but] are we as talented? At our very best, yes we are.”

Though Ku’s performance was the highlight of the weekend for the home side, there were other notable accomplishments. Sophomore Jordan Lippetz was perhaps the unsung hero of the weekend for the Tigers, carding a 227, good for a tie for ninth overall and second on the team. After a difficultSaturdayin which she posted consecutive 78s, junior Alex Wong bounced back with a 74, tied for the lowest score of the gusty Sundayround.

The Tigers will wrap up their fall season this weekend at the Lehigh Invitational, looking to finish on a high note. Wong noted that she and her teammates were not satisfied with their performance this past weekend, saying, “It provides a little more fire for us to do well at Lehigh, which we are really looking forward to.” If Ku continues her stellar play and the rest of the team follows suit, there is little doubt that this Princeton squad can compete for the title.