Women's golf struggles after head coach's return

COURTESY SPORTS PUBLICITY Sarah See, TD '02, and the rest of the Bulldogs are searching for answers after a tough weekend.

In their first three tournaments this season, the women's golf team earned three first-place finishes. Against such northeast rivals as Princeton and Rutgers, the Bulldogs dominated, finishing an average of 10 strokes ahead of the second-place teams. Given their outstanding start, the squad's lackluster performance and seventh-place finish last weekend at the Lady Colonel Classic is especially difficult to comprehend.

"We had the prior weekend off, so we definitely lost some of our momentum," Chaw-waddee Rompothong, TC '00, said. Despite the uninspired play, the Elis were not that far off the lead. They finished the two-day event with a score of 652, 15 strokes behind victorious Northern Iowa, and Yale's top golfer for the weekend, Jennifer Schreifer, DC '02, finished just four strokes shy of first-place individually. "We were really up against some great teams in a very close tournament," Rompothong said.

But as the Bulldogs turn their attention to the East Coast Athletic Conference (ECAC) tournament this weekend, some team members were less willing to brush aside last weekend's performance. Due to conflicts with her LPGA career, head coach Heather Daly-Donofrio, BK '91, missed the team's first three tournaments. In her place, assistant coach Glenn Richetelle steered the Bulldogs to their three first-place finishes. Daly-Donofrio returned last weekend for the first time. One player, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, referred to the sudden switch as "very frustrating." She continued, "We are not happy with the situation, and that really had an effect this weekend. We were clearly distracted. We had rarely shot over a 325 as a team this season and on the first day of the tournament we shot a 331."

"A coach can be a major source of support, especially when you are struggling in a round," another player said. "Glenn was really good at motivating us." While a coach normally provides help to a golfer in the form of tips on club-selection or motivation before crucial shots, some players felt uncomfortable approaching Daly-Donofrio after the long absence. "Heather really hasn't been around much," a member of the team said. "It made it a lot more difficult for us to turn to her for advice on the course."

Some players cited the change in coaching styles as one of the major distractions. "Glenn was a very upbeat coach," another golfer said. "He gave us high-fives and was always encouraging. Heather is a little more blunt. But both styles can work for different players." An additional golfer added, "Heather can definitely come off as critical."

Daly-Donofrio, who is not expected to miss much more of the squad's season, dismissed any difficulties caused by her return as "temporary." She said, "Obviously there was a period of adjustment, both for them and for me. I realize that the situation may be a little frustrating for our players, but I don't anticipate this being a long-term problem." Daly-Donofrio had nothing but praise for Richetelle. The head coach has been attempting to secure "fully exempt" status on the LPGA tour. In order to do so, Daly-Donofrio would have to be one of the top 90 finishers on the money list by the end of the season. Fully exempt status would allow Daly-Donofrio to arrange her LPGA schedule around her duties as coach. She is expected to stay with the Bulldogs over the next few weeks as they prepare for some of their bigger tournaments, but some players were left searching for more consistency. "I'd like to be sure that she is back for good," a player said.

Richetelle, the squad's interim leader, had fun during his stint as coach but was happy to see Daly-Donofrio return. "I really enjoyed working with the team," he said. "Obviously, it is great to have Heather back, and I'll be glad to help some of the girls out if she asks me to."

As the squad gears up for the ECACs, their biggest tournament yet, it will have to try to put all this behind them. A win at the ECACs—where Yale will compete against such schools as Princeton and UNC-Wilming-ton—would virtually guarantee the Bulldogs a berth in the NCAA tournament, which, Rompothong said, "is our goal for this season." Daly-Donofrio attributed last weekend's difficulties to the team's long trip and not to the change in leadership, and she fully expects a stellar weekend. "We need to focus just on golf this weekend and we should do very well," she said.

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