Hoosiers look to keep strong start going in Illinois

The Hoosiers look to continue their successful start to the fall swing of the 2012-13 men’s golf season as they travel to Skokie Country Club in Glencoe, Ill., for the Windon Memorial on Sunday and Monday.

On Sunday, teams play back-to-back 18-hole rounds, then battle in the final round beginning Monday morning.

Seniors Brant Peaper, Michael McGee and Corey Ziedonis and juniors David Mills and Hugo Menendez will represent IU without the company of individual competitors, unlike the first two tournaments.

The five will be up against not only the course but also 14 other teams.

In addition to IU, four other Big Ten schools are in the field: Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State and Northwestern. Also vying for the title are Florida Atlantic, UC Davis, Eastern Michigan, Coastal Carolina, Marquette, Tennessee, DePaul, Harvard, Lamar and Toledo.

“The field is probably equivalent to (the Wolf Run Intercollegiate), maybe a little bit better,” IU Coach Mike Mayer said. “I think we will be ready to go with the short turnaround.”

With a strong field, Mayer said the Hoosiers will need solid play from each of the five members, including Mills, who didn’t play up to his usual standards in the team’s last tournament.

“David Mills and I will spend a lot of time together this week,” Mayer said. “I have a good idea what he needs to do to get his game back. It is not that far away but in this game, if you are little bit off, you can be a long way off.”

The Windon Memorial has been around since 1993 and is held in the
Chicago area.

The likes of Tiger Woods, Luke Donald and Hunter Mahan have competed in this event.

This will be the sixth year in a row the Hoosiers have competed in the event. Their best finish as a team came in 2008 when they took second place.

That year, then-IU senior Jorge Campillo took the individual title with a record-breaking performance as he shot a 63 during the final round on his way to a 205 for the 54 holes.

Both scores still stand as tournament records, but his 205 was tied by Matt Thompson of Michigan last year.

Of the five IU golfers, Menendez will be the only one making his first showing in the Windon Memorial.

McGee and Ziedonis first competed at the event in 2009 when it was last at Skokie Country Club. They finished 80th and 47th, respectively.

Skokie is located north of Chicago and about a mile west of Lake Michigan. It plays 7,081 yards and is a par-71 layout.

“Skokie Country Club is a course we are familiar with,” Mayer said. “It is an old-style Chicago club, a beautiful up and down golf course with demanding greens.”

To prepare for the green speeds at Skokie, Mayer said the staff at IU’s golf course and practice facility tried to emulate the environment.

“We have to be able to really adapt to our situation very well,” Mayer said. “We will have to be on top of our game around the greens to be successful.”