Are the Harvard men's and women's golf experiencing culture shock?

No, this is not a question from a headline inThe National Enquirer. But it is a valid question after the Harvard-Yale-Princeton tri-match, held at Yale-Princeton tri-match, held at Yale University Golf Course yesterday.

OK, OK. It may not be culture shock, but it is quite certainly a case of weather shock.

"I think the big problem today was that we woke up at Yale and found out it wasn't Arizona," said sophomore Joel Radtke, alluding to the feelgood weather at the teams' spring-break trip to Phoenix.

The Harvard men's team, tallying a disappointing 424, placed third at the tournament, the oldest in inter-collegiate golf. Sophomore Darren Kilfara was Harvard's top performer, placing fourth overall with a 78. Freshman Ed Boyda cracked the top 10 finishers with an 82. Sophomore Joel Radtke (87), freshman Louis Sanchez (88) and junior Jack Wylie (89) rounded out the men's top five.

Princeton, this year's class of the Ivy League, easily took home first place with a combined score of 392. The Tigers' Steve Dana and Aaron Good tied for first place, each shooting a 76 on the par 70 course.

"Although we didn't come out and play very well today, I think the fact that we were in striking distance of Yale on their home course indicates that we are at least on their level," men's captain Wylie said.

Kilfara and his scorecard reading 78 was Harvard's only bright spot for the tournament. He turned in a superb 18 holes worth of golf, including eight pars and one birdie.

"I played one of the better tournament rounds of my life," said Kilfara, who is also an Assistant Sports Editor for the Crimson. "I played a very smart round. I avoided the big trouble, cut my losses and took no score worse than bogey on any hole."

"Darren didn't let the bad shots get away from him," Radtke said. "He was able to salvage some type of score on any hole. That was much better than anybody else did."

The Harvard women's tam fared marginally better, narrowingly beating out Yale for second place. The team's 550 was three points better than Yale's score. Two freshman, Alexis Boyle and Megan Murray, were the top Harvard finishers with a 98 and 109, respectively.

"After the fall season, our first as a team, it was nice to get back on the links and defeat Yale," Boyle said.

"I am hoping that this tournament is a wake-up call for all of us," Kilfara said. "The Ivy Championships are a week from Saturday. We have nine days to get ready.