Women's golf finishes first again

Author: Kyle Goodenough

The women's golf team hosted seven schools on its home turf this past weekend for the third annual Middlebury Invitational tournament. The women were especially excited about the opportunity to play at home this year because they didn't have the chance to play on the Ralph Myhre Course last year. The men's invitational fell on the same weekend and the women moved to a course in Brandon instead. This year, with high hopes and expectations, the Panthers took advantage of playing on their own course and finished first overall with a two-day total score of 648. They pummeled their competition, beating them by an astonishing 19 strokes.

Courtney Mazzei '11, who has continuously performed well this year, shot a two-day total of 159 (77-82). Jesse Bluestein '11 fired an 83-76 on the weekend, improving by seven on the second day of play and tying Mazzei's score. Both golfers posted an impressive second-place finish.

"We were really excited to have the home advantage this weekend," Bluestein said. "We set a goal at the beginning of the week to play better as a team and win more tournaments. I'm really proud we were able to do that."

The Panthers saw a significant improvement in their game on Sunday. After a rain-filled week, tough conditions set the pace of play on Saturday. A wet and soggy course meant slow greens and difficult shots. "The course was playing long because it was so wet," captain Julie Ellenberger '09 commented. "It was much tougher on Saturday than it was on Sunday."

Higher scores on Saturday can also be attributed to the football game that took place right next to the golf course. The golfers were setting their tees on the first hole just as Matt Eberhart kicked off for Amherst. Whistles and loud cheers carried over to the course, serving as a major distraction as the golfers started their first eighteen.

However, even with the tough conditions on Saturday, the women were able to pull out the win. They had some impressive performances and key shots throughout the tournament. On the fifth hole, Flora Weeks '12 was able to pull out a difficult shot. She hit the ball from a tough lie in the rough and landed it on the green.

Coach Bill Beaney seemed happy with the way his team played, but stressed how important it is for it to continue to improve.

"We have seen improvement since the beginning of the fall," he said, "and our goal is to continue that throughout the season."

After the tournament, as the five girls stood together to pose for a celebratory picture, it was clear what a tight bond they share.

"Even though we come from different parts of the country, we have formed a strong bond that has enabled us to overcome adversity with a shared mutual respect," said Liz Hirsch '11.

The Panthers' spirits were extremely high as they walked away from the tournament with plaque in hand this weekend. Next weekend they will travel to Williams for their final tournament of the year. The team is prepared for a tough tournament, but after this weekend they are extremely confident.

"Our goal is to replicate our success next weekend at Williams," Mazzei said. "We want to culminate our season with three wins in a row."