Golf: Women’s team places 3rd, men’s team takes 5th at Ivy League Championship

The three-day, three-round event featured five players from each team, with the top four scores from each round counting towards the team total. The women’s team shot a combined 324 on Friday, placing them fifth of seven schools after the first round of play, but it made up ground with strong rounds over the weekend.

Princeton combined for an even-par 288 on Sunday, the best team round of the tournament. Senior Kate Scarpetta shot a two-under-par 70, while classmate Rachel Blum fired a 68, the lowest individual round posted by any player.

Blum finished in a tie for third in the individual rankings at plus-10 for the tournament, while freshman Kelly Shon came in one stroke behind her teammate. Michelle Piyapattra of Columbia won the competition at two under par, ten shots better than any of her competitors.

Unfortunately for the Tigers, their first-round woes left them too much ground to overcome in the team rankings. Yale clinched the title with a final-round 293, finishing at plus-49, seven shots better than the Tigers. Harvard placed second at plus-53.

The conditions at Atlantic City Country Club improved throughout the weekend, as each of the seven teams posted its best result on Sunday.

Twenty minutes to the north, the grounds were tougher at the Galloway National Golf Club, as only two players in the men’s tournament posted an under-par round over three days.

Princeton ranked third after combining for a 310 in difficult conditions on Friday, and it was only four shots off the lead after one round. But the Tigers lost ground over the weekend to finish fifth in the eight-team competition, 33 strokes behind eventual champion Yale.

The Bulldogs ran away with the title by shooting a four-over-par 288 on the final day, 14 shots better than any other team’s best round. Yale ended the tournament with a 20-stroke cushion, while three-time defending champion Columbia placed second.

Senior Eric Salazar came out strong early on Friday, firing a one-over-par 72; he led the individual tournament when he left the course and ranked second after all competitors had completed the round. However, he did not repeat that feat over the weekend, shooting a pair of rounds above 80 to finish in 14th place.

Princeton received consistent play from its lineup, as its top four players finished within four strokes of each other for the tournament. Dartmouth’s Peter Williamson finished atop the individual rankings at plus-10.