The Jeffs entered the tournament fresh off of several weeks rest since their last tournament over Spring Break, and played well despite seeing a different style course that was recently aerated because of the weather conditions. The weather also had a hand in affecting the final round of the tournament, forcing the cancellation of the second round.
The Jeffs were once again led by standout senior captain Sarah Harper, who fired a round of 83 to grab second place overall in the Invite. But Harper wished that she could have eliminated some mistakes from her scorecard. She had a rough stretch of bogies on the front nine while she doubled two holes on the back to damage her ability to go low. Nonetheless, Harper was able to keep it together while re-establishing her tournament confidence.
"Overall, I felt like I played well, and if it weren't for those two holes, I think I could have scored better," explained Harper. "But I'm content with the way I was striking the ball."
The Jeffs were only able to send four golfers to the event, which placed added pressure on the squad's two through four players. Junior Ali Berman came in with the second best round of the day, posting a solid 88 and grabbing sixth place. It seems that the conditions of the aerated greens greatly affected the scoring all around as the putting conditions were not ideal and the lines were quite unpredictable and difficult to read. Rounding out the Jeff foursome were first-year Jordan Chafetz and sophomore Amanda Otieno, who shot 93 and 117, respectively.
The conditions played a large factor in the unpredictable nature of the scoring, and with that in mind, the Jeffs came away from this tournament with their heads held high. Bolstered by a well-balanced attack, the squad looks very promising and will certainly be looked upon for solid production in their upcoming tournaments. With the Jack Leaman Tournament to be hosted at the infamous Amherst Golf Course, the Jeffs will have a legitimate shot to notch their first win of the season.
As the Jeffs prepare for the upcoming matches, Head Coach Michelle Morgan and Assistant Coach Jim Plumer have appropriately contributed their coaching knowledge to their players. Harper has been working on her swing all spring while others are looking to improve their short and long games in the hopes of posting lower scores as they progress throughout the spring. Pending any weather problems, Amherst will return to the links on Friday, April 20, for the Massachusetts States, which will be hosted by Mt. Holyoke College. Rounding out a full weekend of golf, the Jack Leaman Tournament is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday this week.