ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Sheldon’s Score Matches Record

Not very many people at Harvard have done what sophomore golfer Claire Sheldon did last Saturday. Actually, only one person ever has.

In the first round of the ECAC Division I Championships last weekend, Sheldon shot a 68 to go four-under-par and tie the Crimson’s all-time individual record for lowest score in a round.

“What Claire did was probably the highlight of the weekend,” Harvard coach Kevin Rhoads said after the tournament. “She punctuated the end of our first round and I was very happy for her.”

Sheldon’s score was one shot off the Kiskiack Country Club’s tournament record and the sophomore’s record-setting play helped lead Harvard to a round score of 296, also an all-time team record.

The Crimson also broke the all-time tournament record with a total score of 600.

“We were all so excited,” captain Jessica Hazlett said. “It’s not often we get to break two records in one day.”

Sheldon has excelled in both of Harvard’s two tournament victories this year.
Individually, she finished first at the ECAC Division I Championship and tied for fourth at the Dartmouth Women’s Invitational earlier this season.

“Claire is a huge factor,” Hazlett said. “She plays well every weekend.”
Sheldon’s record-breaking round last weekend was mostly a result of her short game.

On Saturday, the standout one-putted the last five holes and totaled a very low 27 putts on the round. She also did not miss a green the entire day.

“It was fun to be that sharp and have it all come together,” Sheldon said. “It was just my day.”

Sheldon said the momentum of the round shifted when she made a nice chip and one-putted the 14th hole.

After dominating the competition in the first round, things returned to normal on Sunday, when she shot a 77. The score, however, was good enough to win the individual tournament championship by six strokes.

According to her teammates, even though she is just a sophomore, Sheldon is already a leader on the team.

“She is a quiet leader,” Rhoads said. “But when she speaks people always listen.”

People may listen even harder now that Sheldon is averaging a score of 76 per round, the best on the Crimson. Right behind Sheldon is Hazlett, who has an average round score of 77.17. The team’s season scoring record, set last season by junior Emily Balmert, is 77.19 shots per round.

Sheldon has been a significant part of the program’s steadily improving results over the past couple of years.

Last season, she helped the team earn the 113th-best average round score in the nation, a 44-spot increase from the year before.

Sheldon has succeeded outside the Crimson program, as well. This summer, Sheldon won the 104th WGAM Massachusetts Amateur Tournament by two strokes.

She was one of two women on the Harvard team to win her state’s amateur championship.

“Claire’s play this season and over the summer inspires the other girls,” Rhoads said. “She is always doing the right thing.”