Hoosiers finish ninth in fall's 1st tourney

The first tournament of the season could have been kinder to the Hoosiers. Thanks to impressive performances by Big Ten rivals and a lack of sharp play, the IU men's golf team finished ninth in a field of 14 teams at the Michigan/Radrick Farms Intercollegiate. As a team, the Hoosiers shot 886 (297, 293, 296), good enough to tie for ninth place with Miami (Ohio), 15 shots behind tournament co-champions Wisconsin, Purdue and Memphis.\nSenior Jeff Overton was the highest placing Hoosier with a total of 218, putting him in a five-way tie for 13th place. Senior Heath Peters and junior Brad Marek were in a five-way tie for 24th with totals of 221. Senior Mike Birkenfeld's 229 tied him for 62nd, and junior Oran Hodak's 230 tied him for 67th. Freshman Santiago Quirarte, who played as an individual, finished tied for 50th with a 226.\n"I think it's a combination of things," IU coach Mike Mayer said. "We didn't drive well, we didn't putt well. We just weren't sharp." \nMeanwhile, Big Ten rivals such as University of Wisconsin, Purdue University and University of Iowa were all able to find more success. Wisconsin made a charge after an opening round 297. Scores of 285 and 289 in the second and third rounds, respectively, gave the Badgers a total of 871 for a tie for first. Purdue shot 291 and 285 in the first two rounds, surviving a final round score of 295 to tie the Badgers and Memphis for first. Iowa shot rounds of 293, 290, and 300 to finish 12 strokes back and take seventh.\nThe tournament may have been a disappointment, but now the Hoosiers have a better understanding of their weaknesses, as they prepare for next week's tournament.\n"We have an idea of what we need to work on. That's a positive," Mayer said. "We'll try to work on our short game, we'll change the lineup around a little and see how that effects the chemistry, and get ready for a big event, the Central Regional Preview."\nThe Central Regional Preview begins Friday at Notre Dame in South Bend.