BRONX, NY – The Williams College women's golf team won their season opener at the NYU Invitational, topping the field of 13 teams.
The Ephs showed the field how consistent they could be by following up their 312 day one score with a 315, extending their one stroke lead to a thirteen shot victory over Middlebury (323-317) and Amherst (313-328).
Individually, Williams' Shelby Shote performed under pressure and held on to the lead to record her first victory. Shote, a sophomore, edged out Amherst's Liz Monty who surpassed her teammate and first-round co-leader Sooji Choi with an impressive 74 in the second round.
The second day of the NYU Invitational was held at Split Rock Golf Course. Despite the difficult, bumpy greens, players were able to score well with ten players again scoring in the 70s.
Junior Georgiana Salant and sophomores Shelby Shote and Paige Whidbee led Williams on day two, shooting 76 and a pair of 77s. Shote, Whidbee, and Salant all placed in the top five. Reflecting on her victorious weekend, Shote notes that the key for her was, "just trying to repeat the swing I was working on over the summer because I knew if I had repetition there would be nothing to worry about." Shote was able to repeat back to back scores in the 70s on two courses she has never played before. Victoria Student and Caroline Sawin rounded out the scores with 82 and 84.
Overall, the team was able to rise to the challenge right out the gate and show that they can compete against stiff competition. The Ephs had a narrow one shot lead after day one, but instead of getting wrapped up in the competition, they continued to focus on their goals and were able to bring home a decisive win. Williams was one of only two schools (the other being Cortland) not to have a score above 85 – a testament to their consistency.
For Whidbee, the takeaway from the weekend was that, "it was a great way for us to start the season – everybody on the team played well, and Shelby had two spectacular rounds and won the tournament. I think we all did a great job of remembering our team's goals and working to achieve them on the course."
Whidbee and her teammates look to continue their success next week at Mount Holyoke September 22-23.
