IU accepts invite to prestigious tournament

After finishing 21st last season in their first NCAA tournament appearance in more than a decade, the IU men’s golf team hasn’t slowed down.

The latest accomplishment for the Hoosiers came when officials at the University of Central Florida called IU coach Mike Mayer earlier this week with an invitation to play in the prestigious Isleworth UCF Collegiate Invitational on Oct. 26-28.

When Mayer received the phone call, he said there was no doubt what his response would be.

“We jumped all over that one,” he said.

More than 25 PGA tour golfers have property and are members at Isleworth, and some return to watch this collegiate event.

They include regulars such as Charles Howell III, Mark O’Meara, John Cook, Lee Janzen and the tour’s main attraction, Tiger Woods. The tournament will feature an elite field of 18 teams with the top five teams from the NCAA tournament in attendance. Nick Clinard, head coach of the UCF golf team, along with other leaders at the university established the tournament four years ago, and built it to be quite a challenge.

“It’s a very competitive tournament on a very hard course,” Clinard said.

The course is continually ranked by the Florida State Golf Association as one of the toughest in the state. From the farthest back tees, nicknamed the Tiger Tees, it measures 7,544 yards.

Junior Alex Martin is eagerly looking forward to playing in a tournament he knows something about.

“It’s a tournament I’ve heard about since high school,” he said. “It’s so exciting to be going there.”

Mayer believes his team will be ready to go up against other top schools when they play at Isleworth, in their fall finale of five tournaments.

“It’s an opportunity to try our hand at the best teams in the country,” he said. “This tournament will enable us to prepare for the national tournament.”

The Hoosier golfers are also preparing for the upcoming season through a lot of summer training and competitions.

Senior Jorge Campillo followed up his All-American second place finish at the NCAA tournament with a qualifying tournament for the U.S. Open. Although he missed making the Open by just four strokes, he didn’t let that stop his success.

Campillo went on to reach the quarterfinals of the British Amateur and also helped the European collegiate golfers beat their American counterparts in the Palmer Cup.

Martin said he is also having a great summer as he won the Men’s Metropolitan Championship in Cincinnati, Ohio. Martin, the Middletown, Ohio, native, is currently playing in the Ohio Amateur where after one of four rounds he is in a three-way tie for first place.

The North South Amateur at the historic Pinehurst Golf Course had two Hoosiers in play. Martin reached the round of 32, and senior Seth Brandon just missed reaching the quarterfinal.

In addition to tournament play, senior Drew Allenspach has received two awards this summer. Allenspach, who earlier this year was recognized as an Academic All-American, recently was named a Cleveland Golf All-American Scholar.

The Hoosiers have also seen a fellow alumnus do well as 2005 graduate Jeff Overton will start play today in England, at the British Open.

A close friend of Overton and a teammate of his at IU, Tad Sachek is looking forward to seeing what Overton can do.

“Hopefully he can make the most of the opportunity,” he said.

Martin also said he thinks it was a great experience and is excited about the next season and the Isleworth tournament, which he said will be a little easier than the course at Purdue, where the Hoosiers played in May’s NCAA Tournament.

“It won’t be as hard as Purdue, so we can look forward to that,” he said.