Torrential Northeast rainfall transformed the Princeton Invitational into a 36-hole sprint on Friday at Springdale Golf Club, cutting short the planned weekend tournament before Saturday's scheduled final round could even begin. Operating on the host Tigers' par-71 layout in Princeton, New Jersey, Columbia women’s golf weathered the deluge to capture fifth place in a crowded 12-team field with a two-round team total of 31-over-par.
While host Princeton asserted control over its home course to capture the team championship at 2-over-par 570—finishing eight strokes ahead of runner-up Penn (+12)—Columbia found its footing through a pair of top-10 individual performances by sophomores Kristina Xu and Bridget Chantharath. The Lions' 31-over total comfortably clear-cut sixth-place Dartmouth (+40) by nine strokes and seventh-place St. John's (+45) by 14, demonstrating solid distance over regional rivals under unforgiving scoring conditions.
Springdale’s Soaking Marathon and Host Dominance
With Saturday's play called off early due to incoming weather, all valid tournament action was compressed into Friday’s marathon rounds. Princeton exploited its deep familiarization with Springdale’s sloping greens, building a comfortable cushion atop the team standings. First-year Tiger Ysabel Liu set the morning pace by firing an opening-round 2-under-par 69, featuring a birdie out of the gate on the fourth hole and five additional birdies across her first 18 competitive holes on her home course. Though a second-round 73 pushed her back to even-par 142, she tied for fourth overall alongside classmate Elaine Liu (70-72).
Princeton's Thanana Kotchasanmanee clinched third place individually at 1-under-par 141 (70-71). Kotchasanmanee poured in nine birdies over her 36 holes, including five during a first-round 70. Her second round reached 3-under overall following birdies at the 6th, 9th, and 12th holes before a bogey on 15 and a double-bogey on 16 threatened her score; she rebounded with an 18th-hole birdie to finish one stroke off the lead. Individual medalist honors were shared by Penn's Juliet Oh and Rutgers' Emily James, who both registered 36-hole totals of 2-under-par 140.
Xu’s Par Machine and Chantharath’s Late Surge
For Columbia, success was forged through relentless consistency from the middle of the fairway. Sophomore Kristina Xu delivered a clinic in course management, tying for the field lead with 28 total pars across 36 holes. Xu opened on Friday with a 1-over 72, logging 16 pars, a single birdie, and one double-bogey. Her second-round 73 featured two birdies, four bogeys, and 12 pars, placing her in a tie for eighth at 3-over-par 145. The result marks Xu's seventh top-10 finish in just 12 career collegiate appearances.
Classmate Bridget Chantharath matched Xu’s opening 72 on Friday morning, recording three birdies and four bogeys. During the afternoon session, Chantharath hit a mid-round gear, stringing together back-to-back birdies on the par-5 11th and par-3 12th to move from 3-over to 1-over for the round. She added a sixth birdie on her 35th hole of the marathon—the par-4 second—to sign for a second-round 75. Chantharath's 5-over 147 overall earned a tie for 10th place, securing her second consecutive top-10 finish to begin the fall campaign.
Columbia junior Sarah Shao provided crucial depth support, tying for 19th place at 9-over-par 151 (74-77) to collect the 12th top-25 finish of her collegiate career.
The Full Princeton Invitational Team Leaderboard
Princeton's eight-shot win over Penn highlighted a strong showing for Ivy League programs, which claimed four of the top five team spots at Springdale.
| Rank | Program | To Par | Total Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Princeton | +2 | 570 |
| 2 | Penn | +12 | 580 |
| 3 | Rutgers | +22 | 590 |
| 4 | Harvard | +24 | 592 |
| 5 | Columbia | +31 | 599 |
| 6 | Dartmouth | +40 | 608 |
| 7 | St. John's | +45 | 613 |
| 8 | Georgetown | +52 | 620 |
| 9 | UAlbany | +55 | 623 |
| 10 | Boston University | +61 | 629 |
| 11 | Seton Hall | +64 | 632 |
| 12 | Brown | +80 | 648 |
Midwestern Tests and Ivy Rivalries Ahead
With three team events in the books, the Ivy League hierarchy is taking clear shape. Harvard, which placed fourth (+24) behind Vanessa Zhang's sixth-place individual finish (72-71-143, +1), will head to New Haven, Connecticut for the Yale Invitational on October 3–4. Tournament winner Princeton shifts its attention to the Blessings Collegiate Invitational on October 3.
For Columbia, the fifth-place showing at Springdale offers momentum heading into a major Midwest test. The Lions travel to Chicago to compete in the Windy City Collegiate Classic on October 5 and 6 at Lake Shore Country Club. Having already set a program 54-hole team record at the Bucknell Fall Invitational earlier in September, Columbia's sophomore core of Xu and Chantharath will look to translate their ball-striking consistency onto Lake Shore's demanding greens.
Sources
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- si.com original
- goprincetontigers.com original
- gocolumbialions.com original
- europesays.com original
