MIDDLEBURY, VT. – The fall season kicked off today at the George Phinney Golf Classic, hosted by Middlebury College. Large wind gusts and wet conditions made the Ralph Myhre Golf Course tougher than usual, but the Ephs held strong. They currently hold the lead by one stroke over New York University, shooting a 311 (+27). On the individual side, Nalinda Wanikpun led the day with a 75 (+4).
Kicking off the team lineup was sophomore
Euna Lee, who shot a 76 (+5), just one of the individual tournament lead. Lee birdied the notoriously tricky 3
rd hole and made many pars to keep her score steady. Following Lee was sophomore Jacqueline Lu, carding a 77 (+6). Lu made two birdies, including one on the approachable par-5 1
st. Next was first-year
Emma Abramson with a 78 (+7). On her debut college event, Abramson stayed cool under the pressure, birding the par-5 16
th to help with her score. Junior
Gio Kim followed with an 80 (+9). G. Kim had a very steady front nine, carding 7 pars and just two bogeys. Rounding up the team lineup was sophomore
Victoria Kim with an 83 (+12). While it was not the round she wanted, she still remained calm and powered through, carding a nice 4-hole par stretch on the tail-end of the back nine. On the individual side, first-year
Natalie Cheong carded a 79 (+8). Also her debut college event, Cheong not only birdied the first, but also eagled with par-5 16
th.
Lee remarks, "Today was a solid start to the season. I feel like we can play better tomorrow by learning from our mistakes. I am super excited to play with the team and see what's ahead for us."
Head Coach
Tomas Adalsteinsson adds, "There were signs that this was our first competitive round of the season, but the team did a good job managing the tough conditions. The course played even longer in the wind and wet conditions, and the greens are always challenging here. There's a lot to learn from today's round, and we know what we want to do differently tomorrow. We're excited for another go at the Ralph!"
Tee times tomorrow begin at 9am, as the Ephs look to score their first win of the 2023-2024 season. Follow along with live scores on Golfstat.
