IU finishes 1st in only home tournament of 2013

The No. 53 IU men’s golf team added another piece of hardware to its collection for the 2012-13 season, winning its third tournament at the NYX Hoosier Invitational.

The Hoosiers, who have now won two consecutive events, finished five shots ahead of second-place Illinois State, recording a two-under-par 850.

IU Coach Mike Mayer said the win was important, especially considering the setting.

The Hoosier Invitational marks the only time the team will play in Bloomington this season.

“It’s always great to defend your home turf, and it’s always good to win a college tournament,” Mayer said. “These things are tough to win.”

Junior David Mills, who shot rounds of 70-66-73 for a four-under-par 209, paced the Hoosiers for the weekend. His second-round score of five-under-par 66 was a career low.

Despite his stellar play, Mills was unable to capture his first collegiate individual title, falling one shot short of fellow Hoosier sophomore Andrew Fogg, who carded rounds of 65-75-68 for a five-under-par 208.

Perhaps more impressive than Fogg’s triumph were the circumstances in which it came — due to struggles earlier in the spring season, Fogg was dropped to the Indiana “B” team this weekend.

Mayer said Fogg’s breakout win was not as much of a surprise as it would seem.
“We’re thrilled for Andrew, but I’m not surprised,” Mayer said. “He’s got the ability to do that. He’s been playing very, very well.

“It’s extremely tough to win these tournaments individually.”

Seniors Brant Peaper, John Beringer, Corey Ziedonis and Michael McGee all contributed to the team’s victory in their final career home event.

Peaper continued his strong season, shooting rounds of 70-69-73 for a one-under-par 212 and eighth place individually, his 12th career top-10 finish.

Beringer, playing only his third event of the season, finished the weekend at five-over-par 218 with rounds of 71-71-76. Ziedonis shot rounds of 68-77-75 to finish the weekend at seven-over-par 220 and McGee scored 80-76-68 for an 11-over-par 224.

Beringer said the victory in the seniors’ final event in Bloomington was something special.

“You never want to let anybody beat you on your home turf, and we took care of business this week,” he said. “It feels good.”

Mayer, whose team is fighting to ensure a berth in the NCAA Tournament, said he remained confident the Hoosiers had done enough to earn an entry.

“Winning is a statement.” Mayer said. “You can’t control what anybody else does, and I really think that when they look at the scores and see how well Illinois State played, they’ll take that into consideration.”