Women’s Golf Finishes Fifth in First Tournament of Spring

The Amherst women’s golf team began the spring season with a fifth-place finish at the Vassar Invitational held at the Casperkill Golf Course in Poughkeepsie, New York, in an event hosted by Vassar College. The course is one of the more difficult courses that the team will play on this spring season, with a par of 72 and a total distance of 5,180 yards.

The Mammoths opened the first day of the tournament seemingly unable to overcome the rust from the long winter layoff. Senior Maggie Schoeller was one of only two Mammoths to shoot better on the first day than the second, beginning with a superb score of 77, seeing her firmly within the top 10 of the individual tournament. However, Schoeller was unable to maintain this form on the second day of the tournament, finishing with a second-day score of 82 which saw her tied for 17th in the tournament.

Despite this five-stroke drop off, Schoeller still managed to finish as the top-scoring Mammoth in the tournament. Following behind her in second place for the Mammoths was Isabelle Ouyang ’21, who was one of three Mammoths to register immense improvements from Saturday to Sunday. Ouyang, usually a strong performer, finished the first day with a disappointing 84. Bouncing back on Sunday, Ouyang carded a strong 78 to finish the tournament in 22nd place, second overall for the Mammoths. Mina Lee ’22 finished one stroke behind Ouyang in 23rd place. Lee was the only Mammoth to stay consistent in her finishes throughout the weekend, finishing the first day with an 81 and the second with an 82. In fourth place for the Mammoths was Lily Worden ’21, another Mammoth who registered stark improvement from the first round to the second. Worden’s first round was a disappointing 85, but managed to improve six strokes on the second round to finish tied for 27th with a score of 79. Finally, senior Katie Rosenberg registered the greatest improvement for the Mammoths between the first and second rounds. Rosenberg dropped nine strokes off of her first round 92 to card an 83. These improvements allowed the Mammoths to improve upon a disappointing first day by six strokes as a team, finishing the second day with a score of 321 after a day one score of 327. This was good enough to place the Mammoths fifth in the field of 12 teams. Williams dominated the tournament from the onset, finishing in first place, six strokes ahead of the nearest team from New York University. Far beyond these two dominant squads was the second pack that Amherst found itself a part of for most of the weekend. Wellesley finished in third, with NESCAC foe Middlebury finishing in fourth, a mere two strokes in front of the Mammoths. The women’s golf team returns to action next weekend with the team’s sole home tournament of the entire year with the Jack Leaman Invitational, held at the Ledges Country Club in Hadley.