The Jeffs were well represented Saturday and Sunday, led by junior Katie Gravel who shot an 85 and an 86 for a combined total of 171 strokes.
Gravel was closely followed by freshman teammate Emily Foran who shot a 92 on Saturday and an 87 on Sunday for a total of 179. Kathryn Kuchefski '04, Meg Sullivan '05 and Jeanne Limpert '03 shot 91-93-184, 92-98-190 and 94-111-205, respectively. The squad was the top finishing Division III team at the tournament.
"We were a little discouraged with our scores this weekend, but we played better golf than our scores represented," said Gravel.
"Katie Gravel played really well," said Sullivan. "She was abroad last semester and it was good to see that she got into the swing of things."
"Katie Gravel always plays well on this course, and she performed well on the course this weekend," said Kuchefski.
Though the Jeffs have been practicing hard for the tournament, the mental aspect of the game still needs some work.
"Golf is so mental," said Kuchefski. "I think a lot of us weren't prepared mentally this weekend, but now that we know what we need to work on, we'll play well in the rest of our tournaments."
Amherst was familiar with the course, having played it over spring break. But on this cold and windy weekend, the Jeffs showed some rust. Despite striking the ball well on the greens, the putts just didn't seem to want to fall.
Practice has been intense so far for the Jeffs. "[Our practice] was very focused," said Sullivan. "We've been playing since Feb. 15, playing in the golf room. We actually went to the Cape [during spring break] and practiced on the course and that helped."
"We need to work on our consistency and getting our minds into our tournament," Gravel added.
The women's performances are watched weekly during practices and tournaments in order to select the top five individuals who will participate in the following tournament.
The team is hoping to qualify for NCAA Championships in May at nearby Orchards Golf Course in Northampton. Next Sunday, the ladies hit the links at the Hartford Invitational.
"We should be playing the same teams as we played last weekend," said Kuchefski. "Hopefully, the weather will be better and we will know what the conditions will be like."