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(10/25/04 5:42am)
After a week off following its first victory of the season, the IU men's golf team wrap up its fall season this week at the Big Ten/Pac-10 Challenge starting today at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Bandon, Ore. The Hoosiers, who won the Xavier Invitational two weeks ago on the strength of four top 20 performances and a 21 stroke margin of victory, believe they are playing at the top of their game.\n"We've had a good productive fall," said IU Coach Mike Mayer. "We've developed. We've improved, and we're a better team now than when we started the fall. That was our goal. I think we're ready for the challenge of the Big Ten/Pac-10 Challenge. It's probably our toughest tournament of the year and our best field of the year. It will give us a real good indication of where we stand."\nThe setup of the Big Ten/Pac-10 Challenge varies from most tournaments. Each conference will count its six lowest team scores each round. The conference with the lower score after three rounds will be declared the winner. But the tournament will still give the Hoosiers a way of measuring themselves against good competition.\nThe Hoosiers will be among some of the elite programs in the nation at Bandon Dunes. The 14 team field includes defending NCAA champion University of California-Berkeley and four teams that are in this week's Golfweek Magazine's Top 25 rankings. The Hoosiers just missed cracking the list and are ranked No. 27, but the team remains confident.\n"I think, everybody kind of got a taste of it this past week, and they really feel we're where we need to be to compete nationally," said senior Heath Peters. "I feel this last tournament was a big step, not only for me, but also the team."\nGoing into the final tournament of the fall, the Hoosiers will feature a lineup similar to the one that delivered the title at Xavier. Seniors Jeff Overton and Peters, juniors Brad Marek and Scott Siebert, and freshman Santiago Quirarte will compete for the Hoosiers. All were in the lineup at Xavier except Siebert. Siebert played as an individual at Xavier, but his tie for 18th place helped him claim a spot in the final fall lineup. The four top 20 finishers at Xavier is one of the main reasons the Hoosiers are so confident going into the Big Ten/Pac-10 Challenge.\n"I think the bottom three guys, I have a lot of confidence in," Overton said. "As they get more experience and learn to feed off of each other, I think the team will do even better things."\nThe Big Ten/Pac-10 challenge will begin at 8 a.m. PST today. The first two rounds will be played today with the final round played Tuesday. \n-- Contact staff writer Charlie Gillingham at cgilling@indiana.edu.
(10/13/04 4:51am)
The IU men's golf team's first tournament victory of the season came in record-setting fashion. \nThe Hoosiers shot 834 at the Oasis Club in Loveland, Ohio, setting a new school record for 36 holes and successfully defending last year's first-place finish at the Xavier Invitational. \nSenior Jeff Overton, who claimed four first-place finishes last fall, repeated as the medalist at Xavier for his first win of the fall campaign. Overton set the tone for the Hoosiers' record-setting tournament. His final-round 61 was the second lowest round in NCAA history, one stroke shy of Paul Casey and Tiger Woods, both of whom reached 60. Overton's final-round total and three-round total of 192 also set school records en route to the win. \n"It's a great feeling. It shows me where I'm at," Overton said. "I tried not to think about the results, just go out there and hit the shots as well as I can, and I was able to do that today."\nIU coach Mike Mayer said he was happy to repeat as champions. And while Overton's performance was impressive, Mayer believes the whole team's performance led to the win.\n"It's a great feeling coming in as defending champions and being able to do that," Mayer said. "We had strong performances from a lot of our team."\nIn addition to Overton, the Hoosiers claimed two additional top-20 performances. Freshman Santiago Quirarte finished 18th for his first top-20 finish, and senior Heath Peters fired a 203, 11 shots behind Overton for second place.\nThe one-two punch of Overton and Peters helped the team walk away with the championship. St. Mary's College of California and the University of Wisconsin tied for second, 21 strokes behind IU with totals of 855.\n"I think it was a well-needed victory. I think it was only a matter of time before we got the win," Peters said. "It was nice to go out and have a solid tournament."\nThe win was the Hoosiers' first championship since the Fossum/Taylor Made Invitational last May. It also was the Hoosiers' first fall championship since last year's Xavier Invitational, which ended the 2003 fall season. \nThe Hoosiers will wrap up the fall season Oct. 25 and 26 when they compete in the Big Ten/Pac 10 Challenge in Bandon, Ore.\n-- Contact staff writer Charlie Gillingham at cgilling@indiana.edu.
(10/11/04 5:17am)
Still searching for its first championship of the fall season, the IU men's golf team will look to defend last fall's first place finish at the Xavier Invitational when they tee off today in Loveland, Ohio. Last fall the Hoosiers won three of four tournaments, but the two-day tournament hosted by Xavier will be the first time IU will have the role of defending champions -- a role the team is looking forward to.\n"This is our first chance to defend any of those (fall 2003 tournament championships), primarily because of such a difference in our schedule," IU coach Mike Mayer said. "I don't think there's going to be any additional pressure. I really think the team's sharper than we've been all fall. I think we're better prepared than we've been all fall, and I think we'll take that confidence and preparation into that tournament. We'll have fun with that over our heads a little bit. We'll have fun being the defending champions of that event, and hopefully, we'll bring back another trophy."\nThe Hoosiers are coming off a fifth place finish at the Adams Cup, and are eager to get back on the course after the tournament was cut short. The tournament was called during the third round because of fog, frustrating the Hoosiers who believed they were putting together a final round charge.\n"If we just could have waited about an hour, we would have been able to finish all 18 holes," junior Brad Marek said. "Just because we didn't finish a round doesn't mean that it's erased from our minds. It's still on our minds that we can do that again."\nThe Hoosiers will feature a five-man lineup of seniors Jeff Overton and Heath Peters, juniors Aaron Walters and Marek and freshman Santiago Quirarte. Junior Scott Siebert will play as an individual, meaning his score will not count toward the Hoosiers' final tally. The lineup is identical to the one that finished fifth at the Adams Cup with Overton, Peters and Walters all finishing in the Top 20. Walters, who finished 19th at the Adams Cup in just his second college tournament, is eager to help the team keep improving.\n"For me, it's just a lot of fun to get back on the course," Walters said. "We've had two weeks off between tournaments, and I've just been anxious to get out there. I'm anxious for the team to play well, because I think we're almost to the point where we'll be happy with how we're playing. Hopefully, good things will happen this week."\nXavier will play host to the two-day, 15-team tournament at Oasis Golf Club. Play begins today at 9 a.m., local time with the first two rounds. The final 18 holes will be played Tuesday.\n-- Contact staff writer Charlie Gillingham at cgilling@indiana.edu.
(09/27/04 4:56am)
After a fifth place finish at last weekend's Central Regional Preview at Notre Dame, the IU men's golf team is on the road once again this week. Today the Hoosiers will tee off in the 11th annual Adams Cup in Newport, R.I. The two-day tournament will be played Monday and Tuesday instead of the weekend tournaments the Hoosiers have played this fall -- giving the Hoosiers added scheduling pressures. \n"Unfortunately, the trend seems to be more Monday-Tuesday events, which I detest," IU coach Mike Mayer said. "But, we get the opportunity to play in the Adams Cup and the Big Ten/Pac 10 challenge. We've worked hard to get into those events. That's a reward for our play last year, and it's tough to turn down. We ask a lot of our student athletes."\nIf the beginning of the week tournament presents the Hoosiers with more challenges, they do not seem too concerned.\n"With a weekend tournament, we miss Thursday and Friday classes anyway," senior Jeff Overton said. "For a Monday and Tuesday tournament, you just miss Monday and Tuesday. So, it's not really that big of a deal."\nFellow senior Heath Peters also downplayed any effect the Adams Cup schedule may have. But he admits the team must take care of school before the tournament starts.\n"You have to have everything squared off before you leave, that's the one thing," Peters said. "Because during a Saturday-Sunday event, you leave Thursday evening or Friday. You really don't miss too much school work -- it's really not too bad. When you have a Monday-Tuesday event, you come back in the middle of the week and you're trying to catch up for the rest of the week."\nRegardless of any extra stress from the schedule, the Hoosiers remain confident they are on the right track. After a season-opening ninth place finish, IU rebounded the next week with a strong showing in the final two rounds of the Central Regional Preview to finish fifth in a strong field.\nThe Hoosier lineup this week will feature the best shooting golfers on the team right now. Overton and Peters will be joined by junior Brad Marek, freshman Santiago Quirarte and junior Aaron Walters. \nWalters will be competing in just his second tournament -- his first away from IU's home course. Mayer said Walters' recent play forced him into the lineup.\n"Aaron's last five rounds here were 73, 66, 75, 69, 68. Those are outstanding rounds, and he just blew away his teammates. He deserves to go," Mayer said. "This is yet another new lineup for us, but we feel we're deep enough to do this."\nThe Hoosiers will play 36 holes starting at 9 a.m. The final 18 holes will be played Tuesday also beginning at 9 a.m. \n-- Contact staff writer Charlie Gillingham at cgilling@indiana.edu.
(09/20/04 6:05am)
SOUTH BEND -- After an opening round of 304 that put the IU men's golf team in seventh place after the first day at the Central Regional Preview, the Hoosiers recovered with rounds of 294 and 292 en route to a fifth place finish among one of the tougher fields IU will see this fall.\nThe fifth place finish comes one week after the Hoosiers tied for ninth at the Michigan/Radrick Farms Invitational. Although the team is still without a tournament victory in the young season, the improvement made in one week was a welcome sight, teammembers said. \n"The field here was a lot better. Granted, every tournament we're looking to win, but I think we're finally starting to click," senior Heath Peters said. "I think, eventually, we're going to make it back to where we were last year, where we have the team chemistry and everything. So I think we're well on our way."\nThe Hoosiers were in danger of another disappointing tournament after Friday's opening round at Lost Dunes Golf Club in Michigan, but the final two rounds, which took place at Notre Dame's Warren Golf Course, were kinder to the Hoosiers.\n"I felt that we were close to having a very solid round there (at Lost Dunes) and we just let it get away. But we came back strong, and we were tough," IU coach Mike Mayer said. "We had a nice solid round (Saturday) with a couple of hiccups and the same thing (Sunday)."\nSenior Jeff Overton's performance in the tournament was emblematic of the team's. The reigning Big Ten Golfer of the Year got off to a rough start with an opening round of 78, but rallied with rounds of 70 and 66 to tie for second place with Michigan State senior Andrew Ruthkowski. Overton's total of 214 was five strokes behind Kent State junior, and tournament champion, Ryan Yip.\n"A couple more of those 15-footers could have dropped, and I could have gone even lower, but I'm pleased with the way I played," Overton said. "I didn't do anything stupid which is key. As long as you do everything real solid, you don't have to necessarily hit any awesome shots. You just have to never mess up. That's the key to shooting a few under par, that's basically what I did (Sunday).\nWith three more tournaments this fall, including the Adams Cup in Newport, R.I., next week, the Hoosiers see their finish at the Central Regional Preview as a good step.\n"Overall, fifth in this field is okay. It's a hell of a lot better than last week's performance," Mayer said. "We feel good that we're taking a step in the right direction."\n-- Contact staff writer Charlie Gillingham at cgilling@indiana.edu .
(09/17/04 5:42am)
Sloppy play doomed the Hoosiers at last weekend's Michigan/Radrick Farms Invitational. After finishing ninth in a field of 14 at the season-opening tournament, the IU men's golf team will look to bounce back at the Central Regional Preview at Notre Dame starting today. The Hoosiers would like to make a strong showing, but they know the 15-team field will not make things easy for them.\n"It's going to be one of our better fields of the year," IU Coach Mike Mayer said. "It will give us a good picture of where we stand at this point in time. I just feel like we weren't very sharp at (the Michigan/Radrick Farms Invitational). We wasted a lot of strokes, and against the competition we're facing now, we can't afford to do that."\nThis weekend, the Hoosier lineup will consist of seniors Jeff Overton and Heath Peters, juniors Brad Marek and Scott Seibert and freshman Santiago Quirarte. Quirarte, who competed as an individual in his first college tournament last weekend, echoed Mayer's belief that the team could benefit from better focus.\n"At this level, everyone can hit the ball long and putt well and make good shots," Quirarte said. "The difference is the mental aspect, the spirit, the way they play, the way they think. The difference is the mental toughness, so I think that's the part we need to work and I need to work."\nEven though the field will be tough and the Hoosiers are coming off a disappointing finish, the team thinks this weekend could be beneficial. \n"Hopefully, what we'll get out of this event, obviously, is a better idea of where we stand in the regional picture," Mayer said. "But I'd also like to come out a lot sharper and a lot more focused, and if I get that kind of production out of the guys, I think we'll be very successful."\nOverton agrees that the Hoosiers are close to regaining their old form, as long as they master the mental part of the game.\n"It would be nice to get out there and see where we stand as of right now and how much better we need to get," Overton said. "Most importantly, I think we just need to go out and get some confidence playing as a team again."\nThe Central Regional Preview begins today with 18 holes at Lost Dunes Golf Course in Bridgman, Mich. Rounds two and three will be played Saturday and Sunday, respectively, at Notre Dame's Warren Golf Course.\n-- Contact staff writer Charlie Gillingham at cgilling@indiana.edu.
(09/10/04 5:39am)
After another full summer of preparation, the IU men's golf team will begin its fall 2004 season Saturday at the Michigan-Radrick Farms Intercollegiate in Ann Arbor, Mich. Due to an experienced returning lineup and several strong summer performances, the Hoosiers are feeling confident entering the season.\n"We've got everybody back that played last year except for (alumnus Ryan Cassidy). I think we're fairly confident with the lineup we have, and I don't think we're too worried," senior Heath Peters said.\nIU features an experienced lineup going into the tournament. At the top is senior Jeff Overton, who is ranked No. 4 in Golf World magazine's ranking of the Top 50 Male Golfers to Watch. Peters, junior Brad Marek, senior Mike Birkenfeld and junior Oren Hodak round out the rest of the Hoosier lineup. All, except Hodak, played at least 18 rounds for last year's team. \nBut Hodak will not be the only Hoosier gaining valuable experience at this weekend's tournament. Freshman Santiago Quirarte said he's looking forward to making his debut when he competes as an individual this weekend.\n"Of course it's very important to play and to give my best every tournament," Quirarte said. "This is the first one of my college career, so I'm just gonna try and do my best."\nLast fall the Hoosiers won three of their four tournaments but were unable to repeat that success in the spring. So the team does not believe a fast start is necessary.\n"I think the importance gets more and more as we go through the fall season and especially the spring season," IU coach Mike Mayer said. "I'm not saying that we don't want to play well or expect to play well or we don't want to win. We do want to do all that stuff. But I think this year especially we're going to try to peak at the right time, and obviously we don't want to peak right now."\nBut a win would still be welcome.\n"But I'd love to go win this tournament and not play very well," Mayer said with a laugh. "That's what I would like to do."\nThe Michigan-Radrick Farms Intercollegiate, hosted by the University of Michigan, begins with two rounds of play at 9 a.m. Saturday. The final round will be played at 9 a.m. Sunday.\n-- Contact staff writer Charlie Gillingham at cgilling@indiana.edu.
(09/01/04 5:49am)
By its own admission, the IU men's golf team will be facing a much tougher fall schedule in 2004 than the fall schedule in 2003. But the Hoosiers don't seem too worried. \nSept. 11 marks the beginning of the fall season when the Hoosiers tee off in the Michigan-Radrick Farms Intercollegiate Invitational. Other tournaments include the Central Regional Preview at Notre Dame and the Xavier Invitational, both of which will give the Hoosiers a look at some area rivals. \nThe Hoosiers are also preparing for tournaments that will give them a look at other national programs, such as the Adams Cup in Newport, R.I., and the Big Ten/Pac-10 Challenge in Bandon, Ore. \nCoach Mike Mayer said he believes his team is ready to handle a more strenuous schedule.\n"Our schedule this year is a lot tougher than last year," Mayer said. "I feel like our team is capable of handling the schedule we've got for this year -- partly because of what we did last year, partly because of what we did this summer."\nLast year, the Hoosiers finished second in the first tournament of the fall then won the final three, and in the spring, the team never finished lower than 10th. The Hoosiers are hoping for similar results this fall and are counting on senior Jeff Overton to lead the way.\nOverton spearheaded the Hoosier efforts last season, finishing first in all four fall tournaments, and earned the No. 1 ranking in the nation at one point. This summer, Overton continued his success. Among Overton's highlights this summer were winning the Indiana Amateur Championship for the second consecutive year, a second-place finish at the Porter Cup, helping Team U.S.A. defeat Japan in the 2004 Fuji Xerox \nCollegiate Golf Championship and reaching the semifinals of the U.S. Amateur Championship. Overton's leadership at the top of the lineup is just one reason the Hoosiers feel so confident this fall.\n"He leads a lot by example, but if you're out of line, he'll set you straight," senior Mike Birkenfeld said. "He likes to let people figure out for themselves what they're going to do."\nIn addition to Overton, the Hoosiers will be returning every golfer except Ryan Cassidy, who graduated last year. Other Hoosiers with strong summer performances include senior Heath Peters, who finished fourth at the Indiana State Amateur, and junior Brad Marek, who, along with Overton and Peters, advanced to the final two rounds of the Western Amateur.\nThe Hoosiers are hoping that this summer other golfers have developed to provide a stronger lineup behind Overton and Peters, the team's No. 1 and 2 golfers, respectively.\n"We have perhaps one of the best one-two punches in the country," Mayer said. "But we need a three guy. If that happens, we will be scary."\nWith nearly the entire lineup returning, and a strong summer, the Hoosiers seem very confident despite the schedule. \n"Our expectations have to be pretty high," junior Scott Seibert said. "I'm looking forward to having a real good, solid season because I think this is definitely our year."\n-- Contact staff writer Charlie Gillingham at cgilling@indiana.edu.
(04/30/04 5:22am)
After winning three of its first four tournaments and never finishing lower than 10th this season, the IU men's golf team has claimed its share of national recognition. Now the Hoosiers are making their mark on the international golf scene as well. \nFreshman David Butwell, a native of Southampton, England, is contributing to the lineup in his first season with a 75.33 scoring average and a low round of 72. And last week, the Hoosiers announced the signing of Santiago Quirarte, the top-ranked junior golfer in Mexico, in a letter of intent. Junior Jeff Overton also has earned his chance to make a name for himself on the international stage after being selected as a member of the United States national team Thursday. \nAs a member of Team USA, Overton will compete in the Fuji-Xerox USA vs. Japan Collegiate Golf Championship in Chiba, Japan July 13-16. Joining Overton in the eight-man squad will be Oglethorpe's Trent Erb, Kentucky's John Holmes, Chico State's J.J. Jakovac, Colorado State's Nolan Martin, Pepperdine's Michael Putnam, Minnesota's Justin Smith and California's Peter Tomasulo.\nOverton's latest honor is just another in a long list he has compiled this season including four Big Ten Golfer of the Week awards, four first place finishes, a current No. 7 ranking in the nation and being named a finalist for the Hogan Award, given to the best collegiate golfer in the country. But, instead of worrying about a trip to Japan, Overton and the rest of the Hoosiers are focusing on this weekend's regular season finale at the Fossum/Taylor Made Invitational in East Lansing, Mich.\n"Hopefully, we can go there and win," Overton said. "We just need to go up there, get off to a good start, close the deal on them this weekend, and we'll be ready for (the Big Ten Championship)."\nThe top six teams in the Midwest regional, the Hoosiers' region, all receive bids to the NCAA Tournament. The latest rankings have the Hoosiers placed sixth, three points behind fifth-place Purdue and one point ahead of seventh-place Toledo. A strong performance in this weekend's tournament would provide the Hoosiers an opportunity to gain a more secure foothold in the region before the conference tournament.\n"We just need to have strong finishes both at Michigan State and at the Big Ten Tournament," sophomore Scott Seibert said. "We're more than capable of doing that."\nOverton and fellow junior Heath Peters have led the way for the Hoosiers all season long, but the rest of the lineup has been inconsistent. IU coach Mike Mayer believes progress from the three, four and five golfers will be critical in the coming weeks.\n"We got a step closer from all three of those guys last week, but we're not quite where we need to be," Mayer said. "These next two tournaments, we have to play extremely well to stay in the hunt. We'd like to move up so we're not so much on the borderline."\n-- Contact staff writer Charlie Gillingham at cgilling@indiana.edu
(04/25/04 10:50pm)
Akron, Ohio -- After beginning Sunday's final round in second at the First Energy Intercollegiate at Firestone Country Club, the IU men's golf team was looking forward to a competitive final round. But costly penalties at Firestone's par 3, 17th hole put the Hoosiers in third place. \nFreshman David Butwell, sophomore Scott Seibert, and junior Mike Birkenfeld all hit into the water on 17 for double bogeys.\n"The last few holes we were playing dead into the wind," junior Jeff Overton said. "We were really close to the lead with three holes left. But, the last three holes we shot ourselves in the foot."\nThe penalties contributed to a team total of 869, good enough to tie Kent State for third. IU finished eight strokes behind tournament champion Xavier and six behind runner-up Toledo.\nIU was confident entering the final round because of a strong first day showing. The Hoosiers shot 282 in round one, tying Kent State for the lead. A second round charge by the Golden Flashes put IU three strokes off the lead after two rounds, yet confidence remained high.\n"This is where we can seal our place in the regional," Butwell said after the second round. "Everyone's playing well."\nJunior Heath Peters and Overton finished among six players tied for third with 214, and Siebert finished three strokes out of the top 20. But, with three players in the water, the Hoosier's hopes were effectively dashed on the 17th hole.\n"Standing on 17, we were in pretty good position, then I look and see three straight balls in the water and three straight double bogeys. At that point we were right in the middle of everything," IU coach Mike Mayer said. "We just didn't get done what we needed to get done."\nEven though he was frustrated with the finish, Mayer was still able to draw positives from the tournament.\n"Scott Seibert played really solid, he had a nice solid tournament. Heath Peters had an outstanding finishing round, and David Butwell contributed. So we'll try to take some positives."\nThe Hoosiers will return to competition next weekend when they tee off in the Taylor Made Fossum Invitational in East Lansing, Mich.
(04/23/04 6:00am)
The season is entering the home stretch, and the IU men's golf team is searching for a way to stand out in a crowded district. Despite placing two golfers in the top 10, IU could only muster a tie for sixth place at last weekend's Kepler Intercollegiate. The Hoosiers realize they will need to put together a stronger performance at this weekend's Firestone Intercollegiate to maintain a strong case for an NCAA Tournament bid.\n"We're looking for a solid finish this tournament," junior Heath Peters said. "I think last tournament we had a chance to pretty much set ourselves up for regionals, and we kind of let it slip there in the last couple rounds. I feel that if we go out there and get a solid finish, beat a lot of people in our district, we'll be back in the driver's seat again."\nLast weekend, the Hoosiers were led by Peters, who finished tied for seventh, and fellow junior Jeff Overton, whose tie for fourth earned him his second consecutive Big Ten Golfer of the Week award. \nBut sophomores Brad Marek and Scott Siebert and senior Ryan Cassidy all finished out of the top 50, which prevented the Hoosiers from making a charge for the top of the leaderboard. IU head coach Mike Mayer believes production out of the three, four and five golfers will be key the rest of the season.\n"We got incredible production out of the one and two with Jeff's fourth-place finish and Heath's seventh place finish. But we really didn't get much out of three, four or five," Mayer said. "We're going to need that down the stretch here. This is such a tight race for the NCAA bids where a matter of strokes can very well make a difference."\nCassidy agrees the team will need greater production and the only way to get it is continued practice.\n"I think we all kind of have our problems right now. I'm kind of struggling with my putting, other guys are struggling with their ball striking," Cassidy said. "So it's just a matter of coming back here and practicing what we need to do and just get done what we need to in order to get ready for the rest of the tournaments."\nThe Firestone Intercollegiate is set to begin tomorrow with 36 holes of play and conclude with the final 18 holes Sunday. The tournament will be hosted by the University of Akron and played at Firestone Country Club, home of the PGA Tour's NEC Invitational.\n-- Contact staff writer Charlie Gillingham at cgilling@indiana.edu.
(04/16/04 5:42am)
As the men's golf team continues its stretch of five tournaments in five weekends this Saturday and Sunday at the Kepler Intercollegiate in Columbus, Ohio, its has many advantages going for it. The Hoosiers are coming off a fifth-place finish at the Boilermaker Invitational last weekend, their fourth consecutive top-five finish. \nIU placed ahead of such national powers as eighth-place, No. 5 Oklahoma State and 10th-place, No. 18 Oklahoma. And when the Hoosiers tee off tomorrow morning, they will do so with co-Big Ten Golfer of the Week junior Jeff Overton. Overton shares the fourth conference Golfer of the Week award of his career with Ohio State senior Kevin Hall. \nAs Overton goes, so go the Hoosiers. Overton has led the way for the team since a remarkable fall campaign that saw him win four titles in four tournaments. The Hoosiers have relied on Overton's steady performances to keep them in contention all season long. And as the Hoosiers enter the busiest part of their schedule, they will continue to rely on Overton for leadership.\n"It takes some pressure off of everybody else," junior Heath Peters said, "when you can really rely on somebody like Jeff to go out there and shoot a solid score every round. It lets you just go out there and play golf and not have to worry about your score as much when you know you have someone like Jeff in the lineup."\nWith the continued presence of Overton and a string of top-five finishes, the Hoosiers have reason to be confident. But at the same time, the team members realize much work remains if they are to regain the form that helped them to three victories in four fall tournaments. \nSophomore Brad Marek believes better focus will be critical during the stretch of five tournaments in five weeks.\n"Every time we tee it up, the goal is to always win," Marek said. "I just want to go out there with a good mindset, stay focused all 54 holes and not throw any shots away. Because one shot can make a difference in the end."\nIU coach Mike Mayer believes his team must work on not giving away shots, but he also feels the Hoosiers have proven they can compete with the top programs in the nation.\n"(Finishing fifth at the Boilermaker Invitational) is going to do nothing but give us confidence and help us prepare for the rest of the season. Even though we feel that we had a so-so tournament, we are very capable of competing with these top, nationally-ranked teams," Mayer said. "But we have some areas we need to work on. We left some shots on the golf course that we should not have left out there."\nThe Kepler Intercollegiate is set to begin with an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start and 36 holes of play Saturday. The tournament's final round will take place at 8 p.m. Sunday. The Kepler Intercollegiate will feature an 18-team field including host Ohio State.\n-- Contact staff writer Charlie Gillingham at cgilling@indiana.edu.
(04/12/04 2:15pm)
After three weeks off, the IU men's golf team will return to competition Saturday at the Boilermaker Invitational in West Lafayette. It will be the team's first tournament since the Steve Kerr Invitational March 19 and 20. \nThe long break has given the Hoosiers the chance to prepare for an 18-team field featuring seven other Big Ten teams as well as No. 5 Oklahoma State, No. 9 Texas Christian, No. 18 Oklahoma and No. 24 Kentucky. The Hoosiers have faced strong fields before, but IU coach Mike Mayer said the Boilermaker Invitational may provide the team's toughest competition yet.\n"It's definitely going to give us a little bit more information on where we stand in this stage of the season, both nationally and in the conference," Mayer said. "There's no question that this is the best field to date."\nThe Hoosiers have yet to win a tournament this spring. But, after consecutive top-five finishes at the St. Croix Collegiate Classic and the Steve Kerr Invitational and a refreshing three-week break, the Hoosiers' confidence remains high going into this weekend's tournament.\n"After spring break, we played solid golf for about a week straight," junior Heath Peters said. "After the competition, I think a lot of the team members felt like they needed a little rest, and now, we feel revived and ready to go again."\nWith such a long layoff, some teams may be concerned about having rusty performances, but sophomore Brad Marek does not think that will be the case for the Hoosiers.\n"We've been outside for the last three weeks. The weather has been pretty cooperative, especially the last couple of weeks," Marek said. "We've been able to get outside and do whatever we want, whenever we want practice-wise, and we've been competing amongst ourselves even though we haven't been in actual competition."\nThis weekend, the Hoosier lineup will consist of juniors Jeff Overton, Mike Birkenfeld and Peters as well as sophomores Scott Seibert and Marek. With the exception of Seibert, the lineup is the same one that finished fourth at the Steve Kerr Invitational, which also featured a strong field including Colorado State, which was ranked No. 24 at the time. \nThe team's ability to compete against tough fields is one of the reasons Mayer likes the way his lineup looks.\n"We're very confident that with any field we play in, if we play up to our potential, that we will be successful," Mayer said.\nThe tournament begins at 8 a.m. Saturday with 36 holes of play. The final 18 holes will be played at 8 a.m. Sunday. The Boilermaker Invitational marks the beginning of a stretch of five tournaments in five weekends, ending with the Big Ten Championships May 7 through 9.\n-- Contact staff writer Charlie Gillingham at cgilling@indiana.edu.
(04/12/04 6:24am)
WEST LAFAYETTE -- The IU men's golf team earned its third top-five finish in the last four tournaments and its fifth consecutive top-10 finish by taking fifth place at the inaugural Boilermaker Invitational Sunday. \nThe Hoosiers were once again led by junior Jeff Overton who carded rounds of 72, 67 and 70 -- good enough for a 206 total and second place overall. \nIU entered Sunday's final round in ninth place, but with a third round score of 293, the team was able to finish fifth with a final team score of 878. \nThe Hoosiers finished ahead of nationally ranked teams -- eighth place No. 5 Oklahoma State and 10th place No. 18 Oklahoma -- reinforcing their belief they are among the best teams in the country.\n"I think we're one of the top teams in the nation," junior Heath Peters said. "We came up here and proved it the last couple days. I think that we just have to focus on what's ahead of us, and hopefully, this will give us the confidence to play well in the next few tournaments."\nThe late Hoosier rally was not enough to overcome tournament host and champion Purdue. \nThe Boilermakers took advantage of their home course, scoring 855 as a team. Purdue entered the final round 15 under par as a team, 11 strokes ahead of second-place Colorado. The Buffaloes made a last day charge of their own, finishing two strokes back of the winners, led by tournament champion Kane Webber's final round 66. But nothing could stop the Boilermakers on their home course.\n"Purdue really played well. It's nice (for them) that it was their home course, they probably knew where all the pins were," Overton said. "It was probably a little easier for them, but that's no excuse. To shoot the numbers they did was phenomenal." \nThe Boilermaker Invitational marks the beginning of a stretch of five tournaments in five weekends for the Hoosiers. With such a tough stretch ahead, IU coach Mike Mayer said he hopes this tournament will help prepare his team for the next few weeks.\n"Coming in here as the 10th highest ranked team, and finishing fifth, you've gotta feel good about that," Mayer said. "We didn't quite get there, but we're right on the verge of being there."\nThe Hoosiers will continue their schedule when they tee off in the Kepler Intercollegiate April 17 and 18 in Columbus, Ohio.\n-- Contact staff writer Charlie Gillingham at cgilling@indiana.edu.
(03/26/04 5:41am)
Showing the depth and talent of the IU men's golf lineup, junior Heath Peters became the second Hoosier golfer in three weeks to be named Big Ten Golfer of the Week. \nPeters was awarded the honor after tying for third place at the Steve Kerr Invitational March 18 and 19. Peters was able to put together a consistent tournament by scoring rounds of 72, 71 and 71 for his first top 10 finish of the spring. Peters' total of 214 was only nine strokes behind the tournament champion, Denver junior Barrett Jarosch.\nThis is the second time Peters has won the award. Peters' first took conference Golfer of the Week honors nearly a year ago after winning the Johnny Owens Invitational.\n"It's always an honor," Peters said of the award. "It just shows that I had solid play for the past week. Hopefully, it'll bring a little better luck for me the rest of the season. Peters joins fellow junior Jeff Overton as the only Hoosiers to earn the award this season. Overton was awarded the honor over spring break after tying for fourth place at the St. Croix Collegiate Classic. It was Overton's fifth top 10 finish in six events. Overton's consistency, including four straight tournament victories, has led the Hoosiers all year. But Peters struggled to break through. \n"It really opens the doors for our team," Overton said. "If (Peters) plays well and I play well, it'll be pretty hard to beat us. I would take me and him over just about any one-two punch in the country."\nIn the fall, the Hoosiers were able to rely on Overton's performances to help carry them. Overton won all four tournaments on the fall schedule, but IU coach Mike Mayer knows his team cannot count on that happening all the time. That is why Mayer was pleased to see Peters' performance.\n"It makes life a hell of a lot easier. It makes the game a lot easier," Mayer said. "That's what any team needs. \nMayer hopes the performances of Overton and Peters will help bring back the attitude that helped the Hoosiers win three of four fall tournaments.\n"We had a swagger in the fall," Mayer said. "We had that kind of confidence. We have yet to quite get there. We're looking for a breakthrough tournament to get that swagger back. Hopefully, with the performance of Heath and what Jeff's done, we ought to be able to find that swagger."\nThe Hoosiers will have to wait a bit longer to find that swagger. They will not return to the competition until April 10 and 11 when they travel to West Lafayette for the Boilermaker Invitational.\n-- Contact staff writer Charlie Gillingham at cgilling@indiana.edu.
(03/05/04 5:20am)
This weekend, the IU men's golf team will be on the island of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, home to numerous beaches, perpetual sunshine and 80 degree weather, making it a virtual paradise. \nBut the last thing the Hoosiers have on their minds is an early start to spring break as they prepare for the St. Croix Collegiate Classic, which begins today and runs through Sunday. \nThe Hoosiers are looking to regain the form that led them to three victories in four tournaments last fall. \n"Hopefully, (finishing tenth) will motivate us -- it woke us up a bit -- and make us work harder the rest of the spring," junior Jeff Overton said. "We just want to go down there and play real solid."\nThe field at Rio Pinar featured several southern schools, including tournament champion South Alabama and host Central Florida, two schools that have the advantage of favorable golfing conditions all year round. IU was at a disadvantage having not even practiced outside before the tournament. But with more cooperative weather, the Hoosiers found more time on the course and feel confident going into St. Croix.\n"It's tough coming out of the gate. We haven't seen grass. Playing against teams that have been out all winter is a tough thing to do," IU coach Mike Mayer said. \nThe Hoosiers will be one of 14 teams in a deep field that includes Big Ten rivals Ohio State and Penn State. Other schools set to compete include regional rivals Ball State and Xavier as well as Air Force, Akron, Eastern Michigan, Fresno State, Marshall, UNC-Wilmington, Oral Roberts, Rhode Island and Southeastern Louisiana. \n"St. Croix is a better field than Rio Pinar, and we will have to play very well to be competitive," Mayer said. "I don't know if we are ready yet to win this tournament, but, if we play up to our potential, I think we could be in the hunt before it is over."\nThe Hoosiers will send a lineup of juniors, including Jeff Overton, Heath Peters and Mike Birkenfeld, senior Ryan Cassidy and sophomore Scott Siebert into competition. Siebert returns to the lineup after missing the UCF/Rio Pinar Invitational with a broken nose. David Butwell, who took Siebert's place at Rio Pinar, will compete as an individual. \nThe Hoosiers still have confidence in this lineup and are hoping to get back on track in St. Croix.\n"We made some mistakes and weren't quite ready at Rio Pinar," Birkenfeld said. "But as long as we don't make the same mistakes, I think we'll be okay. We know we have a good team, and we just want to see what we can do."\nThe St. Croix Collegiate Classic runs from today through Sunday at the Carambola Golf Club, part of the Carambola Beach Resort. Tee times begin at 7 a.m. each day. \n-- Contact staff writer Charlie Gillingham at cgilling@indiana.edu.
(02/18/04 5:11am)
For the first time since the Northern Intercollegiate golf tournament last September, the IU men's golf team did not finish first place. The Hoosiers entered the UCF/Rio Pinar Invitational, the opening tournament of the spring, ranked as high as No. 19, but were unable to overcome a lackluster first day effort and finished No. 10 in a field of 18. South Alabama took first place after a playoff against host Central Florida. \nIU coach Mike Mayer was disappointed with the performance.\n"It was just one of those tournaments. We got off to a tough start and didn't get anything positive going," Mayer said. "Today, we went in looking to improve on the mistakes we made yesterday, and we did that. Overall, we just didn't make the shots or putts when we needed to."\nThe Hoosiers opened the tournament Monday by carding a team score of 601 over the first 36 holes, placing them eighth entering Tuesday. During the final round, the Hoosiers could not put together the performance needed to bring them back into contention. \nTuesday, no Hoosier carded a score lower than 75, though both juniors Jeff Overton and Mike Birkenfeld matched the score. \nOverton once again led the way for the Hoosiers. The Evansville native entered the tournament as the top-ranked golfer in the country after winning all four fall tournaments. But medalist honors would go to South Alabama Gareth Maybin this time. Overton finished with a total of 218, good enough to tie for twelfth.\nOverton said it was a tough tournament, but he is already looking ahead to the team's next event -- the St. Croix Collegiate Classic.\n"I hit some bad shots," Overton said. "It was different playing outside. It was not physically tough, but mentally, it was difficult. I just have to get over this tournament and come back strong at St. Croix."\nJunior Heath Peters also said it was tough at Rio Pinar, but was still able to take positives away from the finish.\n"My touch shots were off," Peters said. "Overall, my ball striking was good. It was tough, especially on the grass for the first time this season. This was a good learning experience."\nPeters finished in a tie for No. 38 with freshman teammate David Butwell. Both shot a 228. Rounding out the Hoosier lineup were Birkenfeld with a 231, tying for No. 52, and senior Ryan Cassidy, whose total of 238 tied for No. 73. \nDespite the setback, Mayer remains confident his team can fix its problems. \n"We have to learn from this tournament," Mayer said. "We know what we need to work on, and we'll just move on to St. Croix, which is a much bigger event, and correct them."\nThe Hoosiers will participate in the St. Croix Collegiate Classic, March 5-7. The three-day tournament will be held at the Carambola Golf Club in St. Croix, Virgin Islands. \n-- Contact staff writer Charlie Gillingham at .
(02/16/04 5:47am)
The IU men's golf team will return to competition today at the UCF/Rio Pinar Invitational in Orlando, Fla. The 18-team invitational marks the opening of the spring season for the Hoosiers, who are hoping to continue the success the fall season brought them. The Hoosiers closed out the 2003 fall season with three consecutive tournament titles and four consecutive first place finishes for junior Jeff Overton. Such performances have garnered the Hoosiers national attention. \nThe team will enter the UCF/Rio Pinar Invitational ranked No. 19 by Golfstat, who administers computer ratings for NCAA golf programs. Overton is ranked No. 1, but the Hoosiers know they cannot rest on their laurels. Most of the Hoosiers' 17 opponents this week are from the south and have had the benefit of good golf weather between the fall and spring seasons. But IU coach Mike Mayer said his team is ready and will not be intimidated by the southern schools.\n"We worked extremely hard this winter on our physical strength, mental and emotional strength. We are ready to go." Mayer said. "Being a Midwestern school, we've had weather to deal with. Some schools may have slight advantage over us in that regard. But there will be no excuses for weather. We feel we are ready to go down there and compete with those southern schools."\nMayer's team also believes it will have a good showing. Through the winter, the Hoosiers have worked on fine-tuning their swings indoors and being in the right physical and mental condition, and their confidence remains high.\n"We've been practicing hard since we've been back. Everyone's in better shape than we were last fall, everyone's ready to go," freshman David Butwell said. "We want to win."\nThe Hoosiers won their final three tournaments in the fall season, and now they hope that success will carry over to a quick start in the spring. Overton thinks a strong showing in the first tournament of the season could be very helpful for the Hoosiers.\n"It's always important to go out and try to win every tournament. We know how to win, and I think it would be really nice to win the tournament this week because as you win more, you become more and more confident with yourself," Overton said.\nThe Hoosiers will feature a strong starting lineup of Overton, Butwell, senior Ryan Cassidy, juniors Mike Birkenfeld and Heath Peters. All but Butwell have finished in the top 10 at least once. And Cassidy, Birkenfeld and Overton have all had at least one top-five finish. \nThe UCF/Rio Pinar Invitational begins with 36 holes of continuous play after an 8 a.m. shotgun start today. The final round will be played at 8 a.m. Tuesday. After the Invitational, the Hoosiers will continue their warm weather tour by competing in the St. Croix Collegiate Classic in St. Croix, Virgin Islands March 5 and 6. \n-- Contact staff writer Charlie Gillingham at cgilling@indiana.edu.
(11/06/03 5:58am)
IU junior Jeff Overton did not win a golf tournament in his first two years as a member of the IU men's golf team. But the coaching staff still saw potential in the quiet Evansville, Ind., native. \nThis fall, Overton lived up to that potential when he won all four tournaments the Hoosiers participated in earning a great deal of attention, including the No. 1 ranking in the country.\nIt seemed every tournament in which Overton teed up, he broke some kind of record. At the Northern Intercollegiate, Overton tied his career 36-hole low score of 136 en route to his first collegiate victory. Next at the Hoosier Invitational Sept. 27-28, he finished with a 10-under-par 203 -- a school record for 54 holes. \nThe following week, that record fell as Overton shot 199 at the 49ers Collegiate Classic. The final tournament of the season, the Xavier Invitational, was cut short due to rain, but Overton was still able to set a new career 36-hole low score of 130.\nOverton's record-breaking performances were bound to draw attention. The victory at the Northern Intercollegiate made GolfWorld magazine take notice. The publication named him "Golfer of the Week" in its Sept. 26 issue. After winning the Hoosier Invitational, Overton was ranked No. 4 in the nation, and by the start of the Xavier Invitational, Overton was ranked No. 2. Now, Golfstat has Overton ranked as the No. 1 collegiate golfer in the country.\nWhile Overton is honored to have the ranking, he said he still has work ahead of him.\n"It's nice being ranked No. 1 in the country," Overton said. "It's a great honor. But at the same time, there's a lot of work to be done. There will be some rough times in the spring. Tiger Woods will shoot 80 again. I'm sure I'll shoot 80 again. It's just a matter of dealing with your bad experiences and making the good experiences as good as you can get them to be."\nIU men's golf coach Mike Mayer said he always thought Overton had this kind of potential, and he's pleased with how Overton has progressed.\n"Of all the players I've recruited, I always felt he had the ability to shoot those low numbers, which is a rarity out there," Mayer said. "In high school, he did it, but this is not high school golf. And it took him a while to make the transition to this level."\nOverton's long-awaited breakthrough is rooted in strong performances this summer. He earned medalist honors at the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship, and he won the stroke play portion by seven strokes, tying a USGA record for 36 holes by shooting a 10-under-par 132. \nBut the biggest breakthrough for Overton came at the Indiana State Amateur Championship in which Overton shot a 64 in the final round of the tournament and won by 12 strokes. The win gave him plenty of confidence in his game and helped him break through this fall.\n"This summer, he finally won the state amateur and got the taste of winning again, to know what it felt like," IU assistant coach Josh Brewer said. "And now, who knows? I hope he never tastes defeat. He will eventually because that's just that nature of the beast. But the guy has so much confidence. He expects to shoot 67 or 68. He just had to get over that little hurdle. He had to win a tournament."\nOverton said his experience has helped his confidence and has allowed him to mature as a player.\n"Over the summer, I realized that I could play with everybody at this level. My freshman year, I first came in here and I knew I had the talent, but I was just kind of scared," Overton said. "Here at Indiana, my confidence has gotten pretty high. And that's something that makes a great athlete is somebody that has a lot of confidence in themselves."\nConfidence was important to the development of Overton's game, but it was not the only factor. A solid work ethic, love of golf, more patience and better decision-making on the course has also helped. \n"Jeff loves to practice, he loves to play, he loves to pound golf balls at the range, he loves to pitch and putt, he's always loved to do that. But I think he works a little more on what he needs to work on instead of just freewheeling it so much," Mayer said. \nMayer added that since Overton's first two years on the team he has continued to play aggressively, but now he chooses his battles more wisely.\n"Freshman and sophomore year, (Jeff) would go to everything and see there is nothing he couldn't do on a golf course," Mayer said. "He's a little smarter when he goes at something and when he lays back from something, when he attacks the pin, when he hits the middle of the green. All that stuff adds up."\nThe men's golf team concluded its fall season with three consecutive first place finishes. The Hoosiers open the spring season in February at the UCF/Rio Pinar Intercollegiate in Orlando, Fla. During the break, Overton and the Hoosiers will prepare to try to continue winning. Thanks to a strong fall campaign, the team has high hopes for the spring, and Mayer believes that Overton will continue to lead the way.\n"Hopefully, he can retain that mental edge he has right now. I'm sure he will be able to do that," Mayer said. "I would suspect that we'll start off with our first tournament in February, and Jeff will just pick up right where he left off."\n-- Contact staff writer Charlie Gillingham at cgilling@indiana.edu.
(10/13/03 5:42am)
The men's golf team will tee off in its final tournament of the fall today. The Xavier Invitational will feature 21 teams, the largest field the Hoosiers have played in all season. The Xavier Musketeers played well at the Northern Intercollegiate Sept. 20-21, took first place and forced the Hoosiers to settle for second.\nThe Hoosiers were able to exact some revenge by overcoming a five-stroke Xavier lead on the final day of the 49er Collegiate Classic Oct. 7 to take its second consecutive first place finish. Coach Mike Mayer hopes his team can repeat last week's performance.\n"Xavier is a good team," Mayer said. "They are a strong team; they have proved that this fall. The last time we faced them head-to-head like that, they came out on top at the last round at the Northern (Intercollegiate). This time we faced them head-to-head, and we were the stronger of the teams. We have to be strong every weekend."\nXavier is not the only challenge the Hoosiers will face in their quest for three consecutive tournament victories. The largest tournament field the Hoosiers faced this season prior to the Xavier Invitational was 15. The 21-team field the Hoosiers will face this week will provide extra competition.\n"(At) that becomes a little scary because when you get that many teams, you know some teams are going to play well," Mayer said. "You can't control what these other teams do in our sport. So 21 teams brings a whole other element into it."\nDon't confuse that cautiousness with shaky confidence. After winning back-to-back tournaments, the Hoosiers believe they can compete in any field.\n"I expect us to be right there with a chance to win coming down the last couple of holes," junior Mike Birkenfeld said. \nSenior Ryan Cassidy said the team will go up against some good competition.\n"We will get a good feel for where we stand in terms of district and for NCAA Regionals," Cassidy said. "But obviously our main concern is going in there and winning the tournament. Xavier is going to be the main team to beat, but we're all playing well enough right now. We have a pretty good chance."\nThe Hoosier lineup has had plenty of solid contributors this fall. Junior Jeff Overton has won his first three tournaments, junior Heath Peters has two top-10 finishes, Cassidy has a pair of top-10 finishes and Birkenfeld has a second place finish. The Hoosiers' lineup has been playing well, and the Hoosiers said they hope that can lead to more success.\n"Obviously we're playing well," Mayer said. "We're shooting good numbers. We're making birdies. We're making things happen when they need to happen. So I don't know how much more confident we can feel going into this tournament." \nThe Xavier Invitational begins today with 36 holes of play starting at 8:30 a.m., on the Grizzly Tournament course of The Golf Center at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio, Tuesday, the final 18 holes will be played starting at 8 a.m.\n-- Contact staff writer Charlie Gillingham at cgilling@indiana.edu.