Women finish second, men fourth at Ivy League championships

The men’s and women’s golf teams competed in the Ivy League Championships this weekend, teeing off against league competition at Baltusrol Golf Club in nearby Springfield, N.J. After the three rounds of competition between Friday and Sunday, the women’s team finished tied for second place out of seven teams while the men’s squad placed fourth of eight.

Both Tigers teams entered the Ivy League Championship weekend in fourth place in their Ivy League standings but without having earned a single tournament victory yet this season. The women’s team, energized by a third place finish in a field of 17 teams at the Pirate Invitational in early April, entered the Ivy League Championship with momentum and confidence. Riding this recent success, the Tigers teed off at Baltrusol Golf Club on Friday, finishing the first afternoon in second place on the par-72 course. The team was eight strokes back of Harvard, which scored 297 on the round. Princeton continued to play well throughout the last two rounds, posting scores of 307 and 309 to close out the tournament. The Tigers ultimately finished 21 strokes back of Harvard’s 900 but led Columbia, the third-place finisher, by eight strokes in the tournament.

Senior Kelly Shon, who posted the second-best individual score, led the women’s side throughout the tournament. Shon finished the competition six strokes over par after three rounds, including a final round in which she finished two strokes under par. Shon’s final score of 222 was beaten only by Harvard’s Anne Cheng, who finished one stroke over par at 217. After the tournament, Kelly Shon was named Ivy League Player of the Year. Freshman Hana Ku also placed in the individual top 10, posting a score of 230 to tie with three other golfers for seventh place.

Unlike the women’s team, the men’s squad entered the Ivy League Championship following a difficult 15thplace finish at the Wolfpack Spring Open last weekend in North Carolina. The Tigers posted a total score of 308 in the first round of the Ivy League Championship, finishing the first day 28 shots over par and in seventh place in the standings. But Princeton’s game continued to improve throughout the tournament, with the club improving to 300 in the second round and 297 in the third. The Tigers’ score of 297 on Sunday was the best score of the round, leading Brown by 5 strokes at 17 over par. The impressive result lifted Princeton from seventh place to fourth, while Columbia captured the victory.

Senior Greg Jarmas, who earned second-team All-Ivy League honors this season, led the Tigers with a total score of 219 over the three rounds. Jarmas finished with 69 strokes in the final round on Baltrusol’s Lower Course, one stroke under par. This result tied Jarmas for the second best round of the tournament, one stroke behind Christopher Chu of Columbia’s 68-stroke second round. The score also allowed Jarmas to break the Championship’s individual top 10, as Jarmas finished tied with three others for ninth place. Sophomore Matt Gerber scored one stroke higher than Jarmas, tying Robert Deng of Columbia for 13thplace.

The men’s and women’s teams will now await the NCAA Championship Selection, which occurs today for the Women’s Championship and on May 5for the Men’s Championship.