WALLINGFORD, Conn. – Harvard women's golf concluded its showing at the Quinnipiac Classic this afternoon, posting a fifth-place finish in its first appearance at the event. The Crimson was led by first-year Vanessa Zhang, who flew up the leader board in the third round to finish in eighth place and collect her second top 10 finish of the season.
 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Crimson made its way to the Farms Country Club this week to compete in the Quinnipiac Classic for the first time in program history. Coming off a seventh-place finish at the Princeton Invitational, Harvard looked to build off a strong start to the 2023-24 season at an event that featured some of the region's top golf programs.
• In the first round of the tournament, Harvard came out firing, posting a 24-over-par team score to slot itself in fourth place after 18 holes.
• First-year, Michelle Liu impressed in the first round of her collegiate career, carding a birdie and 14 pars to shoot an impressive 75 (+3) in the opening round. The hot start put Liu in the top five after the first round. Sophomore Bonnie Zhai and junior Iris Wang also had solid rounds, shooting a 78 and 79, respectively.
• In the second round, the Crimson posted a team score of 32-over-par, falling back just one spot into fifth place after 36 holes. The team was still in striking distance of the leaders after the first day of play.
• Zhang made her push towards the top in the second round, carding the fourth best score on the course with a five-over-par round of 76 that featured two birdies. Wang matched her first-round score with another round of 79 to stay inside the top 20. Liu also remained in the top 20 with a tournament score of 13-over-par.
• The Crimson rallied in the third round, posting its best team score of the tournament, combining to shoot 21-over-par on the final 18 holes. Despite its best effort, Harvard could not jump up the leader board and finished the tournament in fifth place.
• Zhang continued her strong play into the final round, shooting a three-over par 75 to finish in eighth place with a tournament score of 16-over-par. Liu bounced back in the final round to card her best score of the tournament with a four-over-par round of 76 to finish tied for 11th place in the tournament.

 

HARVARD HIGHLIGHTS

• Liu and Zhang were tied for the lowest Crimson round in the tournament with three-over-par rounds of 75 in the first and third rounds, respectively.
• Zhang finished in eighth place to record the second top 10 finish in her career.
• Michelle Liu carded eight birdies in the tournament which was tied for the second most in the field. Iris Wang was not far behind, tying for the seventh-most birdies in the tournament with five.
• Zhang's 34 pars were the fourth-most in the field.
• Zhang also had a strong showing on par-fives in the event, going one-under par on the long holes, the third-lowest score in the field.
• As a team, Harvard posted a score of ten-over-par on par-fives, the second lowest in the field.
• Liu's eight-over score on par-four holes was T8 lowest in the field.

 

RESULTS

Individual Results

8 | Vanessa Zhang – +16 (80/77/75)
T11 | Michelle Lu - +17 (75/82/76)
T22 | Iris Wang - +22 (79/79/80)
T25 | Bonnie Zhai - +23 (78/82/79)
T38 | Lauren Wong - +30 (80/83/83)
 

Team Results

1 | Penn (+56)
2 | Boston College (+57)
3 | St. John's (+63)
3 | Quinnipiac (+63)
5 | Harvard (+78)
6 | FDU (+106)
7 | Fairfield (+110)
8 | Holy Cross (+124)
9 | Stonehill (+127)
10 | Bryant (+141)
 

Next Up

Harvard will end its Fall season this weekend with its final tournament appearance at the Lady Blue Hen Invitational. The Crimson will defend its team title in the event at the Rehoboth Beach Country Club this weekend (Oct. 19-20).