Men's golf prepares for fall finish

The men's golf team will tee off in its final tournament of the fall today. The Xavier Invitational will feature 21 teams, the largest field the Hoosiers have played in all season. The Xavier Musketeers played well at the Northern Intercollegiate Sept. 20-21, took first place and forced the Hoosiers to settle for second.\nThe Hoosiers were able to exact some revenge by overcoming a five-stroke Xavier lead on the final day of the 49er Collegiate Classic Oct. 7 to take its second consecutive first place finish. Coach Mike Mayer hopes his team can repeat last week's performance.\n"Xavier is a good team," Mayer said. "They are a strong team; they have proved that this fall. The last time we faced them head-to-head like that, they came out on top at the last round at the Northern (Intercollegiate). This time we faced them head-to-head, and we were the stronger of the teams. We have to be strong every weekend."\nXavier is not the only challenge the Hoosiers will face in their quest for three consecutive tournament victories. The largest tournament field the Hoosiers faced this season prior to the Xavier Invitational was 15. The 21-team field the Hoosiers will face this week will provide extra competition.\n"(At) that becomes a little scary because when you get that many teams, you know some teams are going to play well," Mayer said. "You can't control what these other teams do in our sport. So 21 teams brings a whole other element into it."\nDon't confuse that cautiousness with shaky confidence. After winning back-to-back tournaments, the Hoosiers believe they can compete in any field.\n"I expect us to be right there with a chance to win coming down the last couple of holes," junior Mike Birkenfeld said. \nSenior Ryan Cassidy said the team will go up against some good competition.\n"We will get a good feel for where we stand in terms of district and for NCAA Regionals," Cassidy said. "But obviously our main concern is going in there and winning the tournament. Xavier is going to be the main team to beat, but we're all playing well enough right now. We have a pretty good chance."\nThe Hoosier lineup has had plenty of solid contributors this fall. Junior Jeff Overton has won his first three tournaments, junior Heath Peters has two top-10 finishes, Cassidy has a pair of top-10 finishes and Birkenfeld has a second place finish. The Hoosiers' lineup has been playing well, and the Hoosiers said they hope that can lead to more success.\n"Obviously we're playing well," Mayer said. "We're shooting good numbers. We're making birdies. We're making things happen when they need to happen. So I don't know how much more confident we can feel going into this tournament." \nThe Xavier Invitational begins today with 36 holes of play starting at 8:30 a.m., on the Grizzly Tournament course of The Golf Center at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio, Tuesday, the final 18 holes will be played starting at 8 a.m.\n-- Contact staff writer Charlie Gillingham at cgilling@indiana.edu.