Women's golf comes in second in Ivy League tournament

The women’s golf team traveled to Greenwich, Conn. to compete in the annual Ivy League Championship this past Friday. The Tigers started the three-day tournament on the right foot, claiming second place among seven competitors after the first day, with Harvard in the top spot. Although Princeton would attempt to close the gap throughout the tournament, the Crimson would hold on to clinch the title. The Tigers held onto second.

After the first round of competition, the Tigers found themselves eight shots behind Harvard. Freshman Tiana Lau led the team by placing second individually, finishing the first round even par. She stood only one shot away from first place, held by Yale’s Jennifer Peng.

The Orange and Black cut the deficit to six shots in the second round. The Tigers managed to hold their team score steady at 310 while the Crimson added 10 shots to its cumulative score. Freshman Amber Wang, the top Tiger in the field, led the team at third overall, hitting six shots over par. Yale’s Peng continued to lead that of all competitors.

In the third round of competition, the Princeton squad managed to cut the deficit early. However, the Crimson would manage to hold on to its lead, extending it to 13 shots by the end of the day. With the win, Harvard claimed its fifth consecutive Ivy League title.

“Obviously we are disappointed with a runner-up finish. About mid-round we closed the gap and tied it up with Harvard, which was awesome, but as the back nine progressed, Harvard pulled away and won the title,” said senior Alexandra Wong. “Harvard played great golf today and we have nothing but great respect for them.”

The Tigers finished in second place. This is not the first time the Tigers have come close to clinching the top spot in the Ancient Eight. The Tigers have been runner-up twice in the last four years, and in eight of the 11 tournaments since then, the Princeton squad has fallen by a margin of only 13 shots.

Still, in spite of the second place finish, the Tigers still have plenty to be proud of. “As a team we have also come a long way, and being a part of that has been an honor. I am extremely proud of our effort and the improvements we have made over this year,” said Wong. Indeed, Princeton managed to place four athletes into the top 10. Junior Hana Ku led the Princeton effort, standing at fourth overall.

While the tournament concludes the season, the Tigers are already looking to improve on their game and the results from this season. “We need to continue to improve at finishing strong; it takes a great effort from all five players from start to finish,” said Wong. Although it was not the fairy tale ending they were looking for, the women’s golf team can head into the offseason proud of another accomplished year and most likely many more to come.