Hoosiers head for elite tournament

The IU men’s golf team members will have a special opportunity this weekend, a first in the history of the program – they will travel to the home course of the one and only Tiger Woods.

After four consecutive tournaments and a three-week break, the Hoosiers depart Friday for Orlando, Fla., to compete in the prestigious Isleworth UCF Collegiate Invitational.

The tournament is by invitation only and selects 18 of the nation’s elite program to compete, in a field IU coach Mike Mayer said will be very difficult.

“There is no question this is one of the premier collegiate events in the country,” he said. “It will probably be one of the best fields we have played in.”

During the last three weeks the team has focused on catching up on their school work while sharpening their games.

Senior Seth Brandon said he believes the team is ready to be competitive.

“I think we are peaking at the right time,” he said. “I think everything is coming around the way it should and we are ready to play well.”

The Hoosiers will also see a familiar face in former assistant coach Josh Brewer for the first time since he left to take the job at Southern California.

Mayer said he is proud of what Brewer has done and is looking forward to seeing him, but said he is not considering him as a factor in how IU plays.

“Do we want to beat Southern Cal?” he asked. “Yes, but no more than any other team there,”

Junior Alex Martin had a slightly different take on the situation.

“We’ll all be happy to see him,” he said. “I’m looking forward to seeing him and hopefully beating them.”

Brewer joked the measurement of his decision to leave IU will be put to the test this weekend.

“I’ll see if I made the right decision if we beat the Hoosiers,” Brewer said.

Members of the Isleworth Country Club include many players on the PGA Tour including Woods. Often the players show up to watch their collegiate counterparts battle for supremacy.

The magnitude of this tournament makes it quite exciting for freshman David Erdy.

“This is the highlight of the year so far,” he said. “It’s going to be an incredible experience getting to play with all the best collegiate players.”

The lineup for the tournament will include Jorge Campillo, Brandon, Erdy, Martin and senior Drew Allenspach.

Martin said he has known about this tournament, which premiered in 2004, since his freshman year at IU.

Mayer said he feels the team is ready to go to Isleworth and compete with the other elite teams in their fall season finale.

“We feel confident we can go down there and compete with those teams and play with the best,” he said. “Its going to be a fun tournament and it will tell us a lot about ourself once again.”