April 21, 2008
Kentucky/Penn State Blog Ben Bastel
Two weeks ago we played in Kentucky. We arrived Saturday morning to play a practice round at the University Club of Kentucky in rather cool weather. Being the weekend of the Masters we were torn between receiving Masters updates and playing our practice round but we were able to play a very productive practice round. The course itself was set up very difficult with rough ranging from 2 to 6 inches, greens rolling very quick, and pins tucked very close to green edges and bunkers. With the signature holes that include number 8, a par three with an island green, and 14, with another peninsula green, the course was very intriguing and difficult.
Day one was, simply put, a struggle with Mother Nature. The weather early in the morning was cold and windy and it only got worse from there. Rain began to fall early in the round and continued on and off throughout the day. Considering the circumstances we played relatively decent competing well and keeping our composure. The second round did not get finished due to darkness and two holes needed to be completed the next morning. We stayed pretty much right where we were after the first day and went right into the second round.
The final day started similarly to how the first did with cold weather and some rain as the day went on. We started out very strong in the third round but coming down the stretch gave some shots away meaning we didn't move from where we were in the first day. Finishing 6th in the tournament was not exactly what we wanted but considering the circumstances we were happy to be finished and with a solid finish.
This last week we traveled to Penn State. This was a slightly longer trip being 7-8 hours one way. We left the day before the practice round and got in late that evening. The next day we got some nice weather and played a very productive practice round. It was the first time we had seen the new redesign. Six hundred yards were added to the course and some holes were completely redone. Another aspect of the redesign that was difficult to manage was the newly added sand. It was added just a couple of weeks prior and was very soft. Balls would plug almost every time they were hit in them. The goal for the week was stay out of the bunkers at all costs.
The first day brought more perfect weather but the course was still playing fairly difficult and firm, not what we were used to. After the first day we were in second place on the strong play of Nathan in the first round, 68, and Ben's 69 in the afternoon. The second day brought the hardest rain we've seen all year. It started on the very first hole and continued through nearly the 14th or 15th hole. Rain gear was no use for the rain that we received. The day was much more difficult than the first with the scores much higher. Although our scores were higher as well we did not move from our position and finished 2nd overall. It was a nice finish and overall we were pleased with it as preparation for the MAC tournament.
April 1, 2008
Marshall Blog Michael Drobnick
We arrived in Marshall Wednesday night in order to play our practice round on Thursday. When entering the course on Thursday, the first thing that stuck out was how muddy and saturated the ground was. With rain almost inevitable for Thursday night, we knew being able to play on Friday would be difficult. However, we were very thorough during our practice round marking our normal yardages, aiming points, and different strategies to play the holes. Marshall's golf course, Guyan, uses its greens as its main protection so we made sure to hit plenty of chips, short putts, and long putts all over the greens in order to become comfortable with the speed. Under the circumstances, we played the practice round to the best of our ability to sufficiently prepare for the upcoming tournament rounds.
We woke up Friday and went to breakfast awaiting the Marshall coach's decision on whether or not we would be able to play due to heavy rains the night before. He told us to contact him later in the morning for a final decision on if we would be able to get any holes in that day. For us golfers, it gave us time to get a little more rest which I'm sure we all took advantage of. Nonetheless, the golf for the day was cancelled and we were all disappointed. We decided to get lunch and go to a movie to pass some of the time. We saw the movie called "21" and for the most part we all thought it was good. We went back, got dinner later in the night, and then started focusing on the next day, during which we intended to play 36 holes.
The 36-hole day is always tough and one I feel we have an advantage in due to the overall fitness of our team. This day would especially be tough due to the excess mud, and water in the fairways. I thought we did a good job of not complaining about the weather, having no excuses, and just going out there and playing to our capability. The first round we played very solidly and shot a total of 288 with 5 respectable scores from all of our guys. We ranked t-5th/17 going into the afternoon round. The second round was more of a struggle and we shot a 297. I was proud of our team in the fact that even though we didn't play as well as we could, we competed hard until the last hole doing our best to salvage every stroke we could. We finished in a disappointing t-9th but with a promising first round, showed what we are capable of.
Next week we travel to play in a tournament at the University of Kentucky. The past 2 tournaments we have started off well only to fade a little in the second round. Next week is a tremendous opportunity with a good field to put 3 solid rounds in a row together and begin to build momentum as we get closer and closer to the MAC tournament.
March 31, 2008
Indiana Blog Nathan Sutherland - Freshman
We left Oxford at 8 AM on Friday morning to travel to Bloomington, Indiana and compete in the Adidas Hoosier Invitational at the Indiana University Championship Golf Course. It was cold and windy when we arrived and we spent about an hour warming up on the range and putting green before heading to the first tee for our practice round. During our tournament practice rounds, we spend a lot of time developing our strategy to play the golf course. We laser yardages, decide which clubs to hit off tees and get a feel for the greens. We are very detail oriented and take lots of notes in our yardage books so we are fully prepared to play the next day. After the practice round, we checked into our hotel and then went to the tournament dinner, which was held below the IU football stadium in the Hoosier Room. All of the teams enjoyed a pasta buffet. Adidas provided some great tournament gifts. All the players received a back pack and our coach received an Adidas watch. After dinner, we went back to the hotel and had our team meeting. We discussed our plan for the next day - breakfast at 6:45 AM, leave for the golf course at 7:15 and begin our 36-hole day at 8:30 AM. We also discuss what we learned during the practice round and finalize our game plan for the golf course.
On Saturday, the alarm went off at 6 AM and our day began. After arriving downstairs at the Hampton Inn for breakfast, our coach informed us that the tournament was delayed an hour because of frost. Golf in the Midwest during the spring can be very cold and frost delays are just part of the deal. We were able to sneak in some extra sleep before leaving for the course at 8:15 AM. Our first round began with the 9:30 AM shotgun start. Our tournaments are a physical and mental grind. We play 36 holes during the first day of each of our events. That takes a minimum of 10 hours. When you add in warm-up time, it is well over an 11 hour day competing. I often am asked why our coach makes us condition and lift weights for golf. One of the primary reasons is so we are prepared to play our best during these marathon days. The better teams are strong both physically and mentally and use that to their advantage coming down the stretch of the 36-hole days.
What made this event even more challenging was that the temperature when we teed off was in the upper 30's and the wind was blowing. Our team played great during the first 18 holes. We shot 282, which is 2-under par. Considering the conditions, it was a phenomenal round. We had a 15-shot lead after the first round, which is almost unheard of in a college event. Last fall, we won Kansas State's event and had a 12-shot lead after one round. Our coach told us that those are probably the 2 biggest first round leads he has ever seen. Our junior co-captains led the team. Ben Wood shot 67 and Ben Bastel shot 69. I shot 73 as did fellow freshman Michael Drobnick. Not only were we up 15 shots over the field, but we were beating the host Hoosiers by 24 shots. They are a great team - ranked 17th in the country - so to out-play them on the home course was very encouraging.
After completing our first 18 holes, our coach hands us a bag lunch and we immediately begin round 2. The second round was not quite as solid and we gave away some shots during the stretch of the round. We finished with a 302 and a 2-round total of 584. Eastern Kentucky jumped into the lead by 2 shots, but we were still ahead of Purdue, Indiana, the four other MAC teams in the field and a variety of other schools in the 17-team field.
There was one round left to play Sunday morning but unfortunately Mother Nature had something to say. After four holes, play was suspended. We waited around for a few hours hoping to get back on the course, but the rain was relentless, and the final round was cancelled. We accepted our second place trophy and headed down the road, looking forward to next week, where we will compete against a very strong field at Marshall's annual tournament. Until then, GO REDHAWKS!
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