(10/12/00 5:31am)
Steve Wheatcroft will rest a little easier this week. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for his teammates.\nThe senior golfer had established himself as a pillar of strength and consistency for the IU golf team during the past four years but remained without a tournament victory. That changed Tuesday with his outing at the Xavier Invitational.\n"It's incredible," Wheatcroft said. "I've been waiting for this for four years. It's nice to finally have one under my belt. I've been close before, but things have never fallen into place."\nWheatcroft finished the two day, 54-hole event with a score of 209 (70-69-70), one shot ahead of Michigan's Scott Hayes.\nWheatcroft's victory was the best individual score from an IU player since the event switched to a three-round format in 1994-95.\n"That's news to me," Wheatcroft said. "I don't know numbers."\nOutside of Wheatcroft's individual accolades, the team had little to celebrate at The Golf Center at Kings Island, also known as "the Grizzly" course. Despite boasting the tournament champion, IU finished just 9th out of 20 teams in the competition. After Wheatcroft, the next best IU totals were sophomore Aldo Jordan and junior Rich Thomas with matching 227 scores, tying for 48th.\n"I'm a little disappointed that we didn't play better than we did," Wheatcroft said. "I wish the team had played a little better, but the competition was pretty good. There were a lot of good players out there."\nFreshman Mike Castleforte was among the disappointments. Coming off a spectacular performance at the Northern Intercollegiate, big things were expected of the rookie as he grew up close to the Grizzly and had played it before. He finished in a tie for 72nd with a score of 232 (79-75-78).\n"I just played terrible," Castleforte said. "I'm very disappointed in myself. I just swung bad the whole weekend and never really got it back. Steve played great though. I feel bad no one could help him out."\nAlso competing for IU was freshman Kirk Wood, who finished with a score of 237. Wisconsin took home the tournament crown with a combined score of 875. \nThe team will look to bounce back next week at the Legends Intercollegiate. Wheatcroft said some fine-tuning with the lineup may be in order.\n"We're still in the part of the season where we try to figure out who our best five is and I don't think we've found them yet," said Wheatcroft. "I think we're getting closer ... I'm just hoping we can find a team that's ready to go to Legends next week."\nBut until then, the new Xavier Invitational Champion will remain the center of attention.\n"Steve had an outstanding tournament, and he came through big time," coach Mike Mayer said in a press release Tuesday. "It's his first collegiate win. He played smart and hard and he is well deserving of the win. I'm very proud of Steve, and I look forward to him continuing his stellar play"
(10/09/00 5:04am)
Mike Castleforte is coming home.\nFor most competitors, the start of the Xavier Invitational Monday represents a chance to play on a distinguished course. The Golf Center at Kings Island, also known as "the Grizzly," has developed a history of great golf. Located just outside of Cincinnati, it was the first course design by PGA great Jack Nicklaus, and has been host to professional tournaments for 24 years. \nThe tournament holds special significance for Castleforte. The standout freshman hails from Springboro, Ohio, a short drive from the Grizzly.\n"I'm excited to go near home for once," Castleforte said. "All my family and friends will be there. It's a good course and a good tournament."\nDespite having played the Grizzly "at least 12 times," the humble freshman refuses to give himself any kind of leverage over the other golfers.\n"Everyone's such a good player at this level that, once they've seen it, there's no way anyone can have an advantage.\n"Hopefully, the weather will cooperate. If it's cold, I'll be in trouble."\nIf cold weather is his only obstacle, it would take a nuclear winter to offset what Castleforte has accomplished so far this year. This summer, he won the American Junior Golf Association Golfweek Chicago Tournament with a score of 6-under par. Golf fans might have seen him on ESPN at the U.S. Amateur Championship. Castleforte tied for 39th in that tournament, a ranking he expects to surpass next year.\n"I was supposed to be (in Indiana) during the week, so my concentration was on moving in," Castleforte said. "It was a nerve-racking week. Hopefully, next year I won't be as nervous."\nHe started slowly as this season began, finishing third and fourth on the team in the first two tournaments of the year. But he quickly established himself with a strong showing last weekend at the Northern Intercollegiate. \n"You talk about somebody whose presence has had an impact on this team," said coach Mike Mayer. "He's a gutsy little player, with strong willpower. For a freshman, I think he really inspires his teammates."\nCastleforte dominated early and finished the first round in a three-way tie for first place with a score of 2-under par, leading the team to fourth overall in the tournament. But the rookie had trouble finishing as effectively. He shot for a bogey on the 14th hole, then got into trouble with a triple bogey on the 16th.\n"That cost us big," Castleforte said. "It was just a hard hole. It was into the wind and I just made a couple of mental errors. I tried to hit a couple shots I shouldn't have under the circumstances. Next thing I know, I'd made a triple and I'm walking to the next tee."\nMayer, who played a big role in recruiting Castleforte, said he believes it's only a matter of time before those mental errors disappear and he reaches his unlimited potential.\n"He had a bad couple of holes, but besides that he was right in the hunt," Mayer said. "He doesn't let things get away from him. As he gets more mature and gets a little more experience, he'll eliminate those kinds of mistakes."\nOne thing Castleforte will have to do to improve is bulk up. Mayer intends to put the slender freshman on a weight training program this winter, although this is nothing the prize newcomer hasn't heard before.\n"Everyone I've ever talked to has tried to put me on a weight training program," Castleforte said. "It never seems to work. I've seen trainers, they've had me on creatine, special diets. It just doesn't work. Maybe it will this time … I hope."\nOne thing Castleforte won't need to work on is his confidence, which has been well received by both his coaches and teammates.\n"Mike had a great summer, and came in with a lot of confidence," said freshman teammate Kirk Wood. "He's been able to keep that confidence up all season. He played really well last week."\nDespite his modest predictions, Castleforte will have a little extra confidence on his home turf next Monday and Tuesday. The rest of the team might have added confidence as well. Last year, IU played well at the Grizzly, finishing ninth out of 19 teams. \n"It's a nice competitive field that we're familiar with and have played well on before," said Mayer. "We feel we have a legitimate chance to win"