The women’s golf team placed first and the men’s golf team came in fourth in their respective tournaments over the weekend. The women competed in the Lynn Schweizer Invitational in Granville, Ohio and the men competed in the Transylvania Fall Invitational in Lexington, Kentucky.
The women started their season off strong, winning with a two-day score of 643. The Tigers won by 12 strokes while Stevenson University placed second with a score of 655. Denison University and St. Mary’s University tied for third, each scoring 659.
On the par 71 course, senior Anna Foley scored a 75 in round one and 78 in round two. Foley’s total of 153 allowed her to tie for second place with Erin Adams of Wittenberg. Ithaca’s Peyton Greco finished in first, using six less strokes than Foley and Adams.
Sophomore Paige Sanfelippo came in sixth at the completion of the tournament, scoring 160 after both rounds. With a score of 164, junior Layla Ahmadi landed in 13th place for the Lynn Schweizer Invitational.
Ahmadi said, “Every ‘W’ (win) always feels amazing, but getting a ‘W’ the first tournament of the season really sets up good momentum for the rest of the season. After losing such strong players this year, I think a lot of our major competitors really slept on us and didn't think we would be as strong as we showed we were today.”
In Kentucky, the men’s team finished in fourth place out of the 16 teams that competed, tying with Kenyon and Sewanee. After three rounds of competitive play, the Tigers ended up with a total score of 890. The tournament was won by the men of Wittenberg whose scores added up to 870.
When asked about the mindset of the team going into the weekend, senior Jason Miller said, “We came into this weekend knowing that our starting lineup can compete with the best teams in the country. We just trusted our skills and preparation and came out ready to execute.”
Senior Nick Burris paced the Tigers with a fifth place finish and a score of 218. First-year Caleb Bopp placed 16th with a score of 223. Seniors Luis Esteban and Jason Miller came in 19th and 26th upon completion of the tournament.
“Our strengths that we saw this weekend was that we were able to finish the rounds strong,” said Miller. “We stayed focused and fought all the way to the end which was ultimately why we beat as many teams as we did.”
This upcoming weekend, the men’s golf team will play in the Dr. Richard Park Invite at Hillview Country Club in Franklin, Indiana. The women’s team will compete in the Olivet Kyle Campbell Invitational at the Medalist Golf Club in Marshall, Michigan.