BRUNSWICK, Maine — Seniors Natalie Cheong and Emma Abramson both shot even par in the second and final round of the Polar Bear Shootout hosted by Bowdoin College on Sunday, leading the Williams College women's golf team to a fifth-place finish with a two-round total of 598 (+14).
Middlebury bested the host school to win the 14-team tournament by five strokes with a 4-over 588. Amherst (595) and Hamilton (597) also edged out the Ephs among the top five scores.
Cheong began the 5,702-yard, par-73 course at Brunswick Golf Club on the 11th hole with a bogey but immediately recovered to sink birdies on each of the next two holes. She added one more birdie to her round along with 12 pars to finish up at even par and bring her two-day total to 5-over par (151), tying her for 19th in the 85-player field.
The round unfolded in a similar fashion for Abramson with 11 pars and a pair of birdies, but she ended it with a flourish as the senior birdied the eighth hole (after starting on 12) then eagled the ninth for the second straight day. Both she and Cheong climbed 18 spots in the standings with Abramson one stroke behind her teammate with a 6-over 152 to tie for 27th.
But it was a Amanda Nip, a first-year playing in her first collegiate tournament, who produced the low score for Williams for the tournament. The rookie matched Cheong's three birdies and added 11 pars as she carded a 1-over 74 for the 18 and a 1-over 147 over the two rounds. She ended up tied for seventh overall, four strokes behind the co-leaders, Amanda Phillips of Wesleyan and Season Wei of Middlebury.
Sophomore Zoe Wynn was the other golfer to contribute to the team score with 7-over 80 that featured a pair of birdies. Sophomore Petra Yee and first-year Katie Ha, the latter playing as an individual, each had two birdies of their own today.
The Ephs will return to action next weekend at the George Phinney Classic hosted by Middlebury College at the Ralph Myhre Golf Course. The first round tees off on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. while Sunday's action starts at 9:30 a.m.
