Golf Places 11th in Last Match Before Ivies

For its last tune-up before the Ivy League championships, the golf team traveled to Princeton, N.J. to compete in the Princeton Invitational this past weekend. The tournament consisted of 36 holes of play on Saturday, with a final round of 18 holes on Sunday. The Red placed 11th out of 14 teams; not one of their strongest performances this season. The bright spot of the weekend came from sophomore Rob Cronheim, who placed fourth overall in the tournament. Ironically, he did not feel he played to his potential.
“This past weekend was the worst I’ve hit all year,” said Cronheim, who finished with a weekend total of 213. “But I finally put the ball in the hole [putting].”
Although Cronheim feels that he can hit the ball much better, he is happy with the progress that he has made and is excited about where his game is at right now.[img_assist|nid=29862|title=Quite the extension|desc=Sophomore Robert Cronheim placed fourth in the Princeton Invitational; Cornell placed 11th.|link=node|align=left|width=|height=0]
“I personally feel like I’m exactly where I want to be,” Cronheim said. “I’ve been trying to improve week to week so that I peak in time for the Ivy League championships, and I’m right on schedule. I’ve been putting a lot of work in, both at the golf course and in the gym in preparation for the [Ivy League championships], so I’m excited.”
Freshman Matt Jaye echoed Cronheim’s confidence about the current situation the Red is in.
“We didn’t score as well as we would have liked,” said Jaye, who finished the weekend with a total score of 224, “but we aren’t fighting any problems with our games.”
The 54-hole format from the Princeton Invitational is the same format used in the Ivy League Championships. There is clearly a different feel to the day for the team when they are playing 36 holes rather than the standard 18. However, it is not the physical aspect of the game that is harder to maintain, but instead the mental aspect.
“It’s not the fatigue you have to worry about when playing 36 holes,” Jaye said, “it’s [about] not letting a rough patch affect your entire day. When you’re playing that many holes, you have to remember to keep it together because you’re going to be out there all day.”
In contrast to how they have performed for most of the season, the Red did not match up well against the other Ivy League teams competing in the invite. Cornell finished behind Princeton, Penn and Columbia — all teams that the Red has already defeated this year. Still, with the Ivy League championships in front of them, the team’s confidence remains high.
“Personally, all I can do is bring my best golf to the course this weekend,” Cronheim said. “I can’t account for the rest of my teammates and how they plan on preparing or how they feel, but I know that they will be ready for the weekend ahead of them.”