The Harvard women’s golf team finished tied for sixth place at the Buckeye Invitational, according to an announcement on Apr. 18. The event was held at the Ohio State University Golf Course and served as the final tournament before the Ivy League Championships.
This result is notable as Harvard outperformed No. 28 Northwestern, marking its best win over a ranked opponent this season. The team finished with a combined score of 911 (+47), making it the second highest non-ranked team in the field.
Harvard began the tournament with a seventh-place standing after posting a first-round score of 305 (+17). Senior captain Iris Wang led with a score of 74 (+2) and three birdies on day one. In the second round, Vanessa Zhang recorded five birdies and shot a field-best round of 70 (-2), moving her into the top five individually. Wang matched her opening round, while Lucy Yuan and Dixon Hill also contributed to Harvard’s jump to sixth place after two rounds.
Zhang continued her strong performance in round three with another score of 70 (-2), finishing third overall at one-over-par for the tournament. As a team, Harvard carded 33 birdies—sixth most among competitors—and Zhang posted both the best par-four scoring average and one of the lowest bogey counts in the field.
Final standings saw Ohio State win with +26, followed by Iowa State and Kent State. Harvard shared sixth place with Indiana at +47, ahead of Northwestern and several other teams. Individually, Zhang placed third (77-70-70; +1), Yuan tied for 26th (+15), Wang tied for 29th (+16), Hill tied for 41st (+21), Iniakov tied for 54th (+25), and Sirina Ganne competed as an individual.
Looking ahead, Harvard will compete in the Ivy League Championship Tournament from April 24-26 at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, New Jersey. The event will determine which school earns an automatic bid to May’s NCAA Championship.
