Men's golf opens season at Northern Intercollegiate

The Hoosier men’s golf team is entering its first tournament of the fall with a simple mindset, IU Coach Mike Mayer said.

He said the team needs to focus on itself, not the competition.

“We can’t play defense,” Mayer said. “We can’t tackle anybody or block anybody’s shots. All we can do is control ourselves.”

The season opens Friday with the Northern Intercollegiate Tournament at Rich Harvest Farms Golf Course in Sugar Grove, Ill. The Hoosiers will be among 15 schools fighting for the top spot.

The teams will play 18 holes Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning.

In the Northern Intercollegiate, five golfers will play toward the overall team score, with the best four making up the final score. One other golfer will compete for separate, individual honors.

Seniors Hugo Menendez and David Mills, junior Nick Grubnich, sophomore Max Kollin and freshman Will Seger will play in the team competition, and freshman Andrew Havill will take part in the individual portion.

Heading into this year, Mayer said he had no idea how the active roster would look like from one week to the next.

“There are just a lot of unknowns this year, probably more so than ever,” Mayer said. “We are going to need to figure some things out quick and get ready to start
competing.”

Even with the unknowns, Mayer sets his sights on the Big Ten Championship.

Championships have eluded him since 1999, when he took over as the head coach for the Hoosiers. However, he was an assistant coach under Sam Carmichael in 1998 when IU last brought home the Big Ten title.

Mayer and the Hoosiers have enjoyed consistent regular season success in recent years. They have made it to NCAA postseason play nine of the last 10 years, and they finished second behind Illinois in the Big Ten Championship at French Lick two years ago.

“As a team, we have reached a certain level, and it’s a great level to be at,” Mayer said. “I think we are one of the elite teams in the conference.”

To get to the next level though, a championship level, he said they will need to step it up.

Moving into this year, the team maintains lofty expectations, even with a young, largely unproven roster. Five of the nine men on the roster are underclassmen, including freshmen Havill, Seger and Keegan Vea.

Mayer said the team can compete with a balanced team, but that will not win championships.

“We can’t be great without that great player,” he said.“We need David Mills in a big way. There’s no sugarcoating it.”

Mills enters his fourth season on the team as the unquestioned leader of the young squad. He also said the focus should remain on themselves and off their opponents, especially early on in the season.

“I think we just need to keep within ourselves a little bit and really not worry about the other teams, just play our best,” Mills said.

The Hoosiers successfully executed this strategy last year at the Northern Intercollegiate against a strong field, Mayer said. The team finished the tournament 15 strokes ahead of second place.

Mayer said his team can’t overvalue which schools will or will not be present in each tournament.

“Everybody’s capable any given round, any given tournament,” he said.

Rich Harvest Farms, the home course of Northern Illinois University, poses a tough early season challenge for the Hoosiers. It is expected to be one of toughest courses on the schedule this year.

Menendez said the course has an interesting design, and it possesses some quirky aspects the team must consider.

“Play good golf, stay patient and we will be fine,” he said.

Mayer said he will not focus much on whether the team comes in third or tenth place in this first tournament.

“If we go out there, control ourselves and do the best we can,” Mayer said, “I’m going to be satisfied no matter where we finish.”

Follow reporter Michael Nichols on Twitter @Mike_Nichols1.