NAPLES, Fla. – It was a record-breaking performance for
Vanessa Zhang, who shot an Ivy League Championship record 205 (-11), to take Individual Medalist Honors and punch her ticket to the NCAA Regional Round. As a team, the Crimson used a third-round team score of 292 (+4) to fly up the leaderboard and take second place in the tournament. Zhang became the seventh Ivy League Individual Medalist in program history. Zhang's record tournament helped Harvard finish in the top two for the 14
th time in the 27-year history of the Ivy League Championship.
How It Happened
The Crimson traveled South to Naples, Fla. to compete at the Royal Palm Golf Club, the host for the 2025 Ivy League Championship Tournament.
Vanessa Zhang,
Iris Wang,
Lucy Yuan,
Catie Schernecker,
Michelle Liu and
Bonnie Zhai made up the Harvard lineup that competed in Florida.
The team opened up the tournament with a team score of 297 (+9) on the first day of competition, positioning itself in fourth place and eight shots off the lead. Zhang led the way with a low score of 68 (-4), a team and tournament best in the first round. Her first round also featured seven birdies, which was the most in the field.
Iris Wang shot a 74 (+2) while carding five birdies,
Lucy Yuan posted a 77 (+5) and
Bonnie Zhai carded a 78 (+6) to contribute to the team scoring in the first 18 holes.
Zhang led the way once again in the second round, posting a 67 (-5), which at the time was the lowest round in the tournament. The Canada native preserved her tournament lead, moving to nine-under-par on the weekend and would head into the final round with a five-shot lead. Wang, Yuan and Zhai would post scores of 75 (+3), 76 (+4) and 77 (+5), respectively, to contribute to Harvard's second round team score of 295 (+7). Despite improving its team score in the second round, Harvard fell back to fifth place in the tournament but just four shots out of second place.
Harvard made up those four shots rather quickly in the third round thanks to a fast start from Zhai, Yuan and Zhang who all posted one-under scores of 35 on the front nine in the third round. The Crimson flew up the leader board in the final round to take second place after solid rounds from its top four of Zhang, Wang, Yuan and Zhai. Harvard posted a third-round score of 292 (+4) – a team tournament best – to move up four spots and take control of second place by five strokes. The Crimson finished in the top two at the Ivy League Championship for the 14
th time in the 27-year history of the tournament.
Vanessa Zhang competed her wire-to-wire victory by shooting a two-under-par round of 70 on the final day of competition to win the Ivy League Individual Championship and earn medalist honors. A first-year, Zhang carded a tournament-best 16 birdies to become the seventh Ivy League Championship Medalist in program history. The Canadian punched her ticket to the NCAA Regional Tournament, where she will compete for a spot in the NCAA Championship Tournament Field.
Harvard Highlights
- Vanessa Zhang's tournament score of 11-under-par set a new Ivy League record for lowest 54-hole score at the Championship Tournament.
- Zhang's 16 birdies were a tournament best.
- Zhang also tied for the lowest round in the field with her second round score of 67.
- Lucy Yuan posted a tournament best 41 pars.
- Iris Wang's nine birdies were tied for the sixth-most in the field.
Final Results
1 - Princeton [+4]
2 - Harvard [+20]
3 - Columbia [+25]
3 - Dartmouth [+25]
5 - Penn [+28]
5 - Yale [+28]
Individual Results
1 |
Vanessa Zhang | 68, 67, 70 | -11
9.
Iris Wang | 74, 75, 73 | +6
16.
Lucy Yuan | 77, 76, 73 | +10
25.
Bonnie Zhai | 78, 77, 76 | +15
34.
Catie Schernecker | 81, 80, 82 | +27
35.
Michelle Liu | 87, 83, 86 | +40
Up Next
With her victory,
Vanessa Zhang earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Regional round, where she will compete for a spot in the NCAA Championship. There will be four NCAA Regional sites in Columbus, Ohio [OSU Golf Club – Scarlet Course], Lexington, Kentucky [University Club of Kentucky], Norman, Oklahoma [Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club], and Golf Canyon, Arizona [Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club]. Zhang will find out what site she will go to once the selections are released on Wednesday, April 23.
