Golf Finishes With Ivy Championships

The climax of the golf team’s season finally arrives this weekend when it competes for the Ivy League championship in Galloway Township, N.J. The Red is confident in its abilities and is ready to prove over the course of 54 holes this weekend that it is the best in the Ivy League.

Sophomore Robert Cronheim, who leads the team in scoring this season and was the Red’s top finisher at the Ivy League championships last year, is particularly confident after continually improving his game each week throughout the season.

“I’ve felt great [practicing this week],” said Cronheim, who is coming off of a fourth place finish at the Princeton Invitational last weekend. “Probably the best I’ve felt all year.”

[1]Swing away: Sophomore Robert Cronheim has led the Red in scoring this year and will lead the Red into the Ivy League championships.

Senior Austin Lord was also quick to point out the great week of practice the team has had while gearing up for the weekend.

“It’s been amazing to be able to get out and play in nice weather and get a little friendly competition in,” Lord said. “Hopefully it carries over.”

The Red placed eighth at the tournament last year, closing out the weekend with a season-high third-round score of 331. However, the players who were there last year are determined to leave that performance in the past, focusing on this year’s championship instead.

“We simply didn’t play well [last year],” Cronheim said. “But last year is in the past, I’m only thinking about what I’m going to do [tomorrow] morning when we start. I think that part of playing golf is being fearless. If you think too much about past experiences, that fear creeps into your mind. You can not have that happen.”

With the exception of Harvard, the Red has defeated every Ivy League team at least once over the course of this season, which has given Cornell a boost of confidence.

“It helps [having defeated the other Ivy teams except Harvard] because we know for sure that we can beat them,” Lord said. “Having already beaten these teams just helps with the mental aspects of the tournament.”

With the biggest tournament of the season just one day away, Cronheim tried to describe the whirlwind of emotions he has been feeling leading up to it.

“I’m excited, anxious and nervous,” Cronheim said. “I mean, the reason you play any competitive sport is to get the feeling of being nervous. If you don’t get nervous, it’s not fun.”