Golf Falters at Yale

The golf team traveled to New Haven, Conn. this past weekend to compete against 24 other schools in the Yale Invitational. The Red were tied for first place after the first round, but finished the weekend in a tie for 8th place with the host Bulldogs. The Red completed the weekend with a total of 594, nine strokes behind the winner, Harvard.
Despite heading into the final round with a share of the lead, the Red felt no sense of added pressure.
“We’ve been in that spot before,” said sophomore Rob Cronheim, who finished the weekend with a two-day total of 149. “We knew what we had to do; we just didn’t come through in the clutch.”
Although the Red dropped from 1st place to 8th, its level of play did not change drastically. Again it was more a matter of consistency then raw talent.[img_assist|nid=29633|title=I dream of green|desc=Senior Rob Cronheim competed in the Cornell Invite. on September 30. This weekend he finished with a total of 149.|link=node|align=left|width=|height=0]
“I think all of us had a rough hole or two,” said freshman Matt Jaye, who finished the weekend with a total score of 149. “On a course like Yale’s, it’s tough to make up for.”
Although the Red could not follow through on their strong start to the weekend, members of the team still felt an improvement from their previous tournament in Towson, Md.
“I think we are all more comfortable with our swings now more than we were at Towson,” Jaye said.
In particular, Cronheim, who leads the team in scoring this season, felt confident about his performance after this past weekend — in contrast to the frustration he felt following the Towson Invitational.
“I personally hit the ball pretty well all weekend,” Cronheim said. “I just couldn’t get anything to fall on the greens; I’m honestly not disappointed with my performance.”
The Red recognizes that the biggest portion of its season is still to come, and therefore improving week to week is crucial. The Red said it always expects to play well and win every tournament it enters, but they also know the importance of keeping each round in perspective.
“Yes, I’ve scored better and it’s nice to win,” Cronheim said. “But a lot of the work I’ve been putting in is starting to come together in preparation for [the Ivy League Championship].”
The Red is looking forward to carrying its improved, more consistent play into its next tournament at Princeton.
“We are right where we need to be going into Princeton next week,” Jaye said. “We are expecting a good showing.”