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Printer-Friendly ModeGolf team wins GLIAC
Five-stroke win has Cardinals looking forward to spring
October 17, 2005 —
Eight years is a long time.
1997 marks the last time that the SVSU men's golf team was GLIAC champion; until 2005, that is. The Cardinals brought home their 11th conference title when they won the GLIAC championships in Erie, Penn. on Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 11 and 12.
Coach Andy Bethune was pleased with his team and the effort that they showed throughout the day.
"We are very excited right now," he said in a release. "Our kids played right down to the wire and made shots when we had to. It was a great team effort and the course was in great condition for us to fire low rounds."
The conference championship was the perfect ending on a storybook season for the Cardinals.
On top of placing in the top four in every tournament this season, the Cardinals brought home first place hardware at the Regional Tournament and the Bay Valley Intercollegiate.
The win at the Regional was the biggest for the team, because, as junior Adam Miller puts it, it gave them the confidence to win the big tournaments. Other players on the team echoed the same thoughts.
"We won the two biggest tournaments of the fall season," sophomore Mike King said. "I believe we should have played better at Grand Valley and Northwood, but we accomplished our major goal of winning the conference."
The Cardinals won the tournament with a three round team total of 898, which was five strokes better than the second place team from Ferris State.
The tournament, which was held at Lakeview Country Club, consisted of two rounds on the first day and the culminating round on the second day. The Cardinals fired a team score of 298 in the first round which was the low round for the day, and they came back in round two with a 301 giving them the lead after day one with 599.
King turned in a wonderful first round. He carded a two-under-par 70 in the first round and a two round score of 147 to pace the Cardinals.
Junior Joey Beyer played consistent rounds, also finishing the first day with a 147 (rounds of 74 and 73) while sophomore Sean Rutherford shot a second round team low score of 74 on his way to a total of 151.
The Cardinals came out on day two with a one stroke lead over Ferris State. Neither the Bulldogs nor any other team could get any closer, as the Cardinals reeled off another splendid round, firing a 299 on their way to the conference championship.
King and junior Scott Urquhart had huge final rounds as they each carded an even-par 72. King finished the tournament with a three-over-par 219 (70, 77, 72) to tie for second place overall.
The Cardinals also got strong performances from Beyer, who carded a 224 (74, 73, 77) to tie for seventh overall, and Urquhart, who finished with a 227 (78, 77, 72) to tie for tenth overall.
Rutherford (230) and Miller (234) rounded out the scoring for the Cardinals.
King was satisfied with his individual performance, and he also pointed out that the end result is like none other.
"I was pleased with my individual play," he said. "I played pretty well all week, but I made some bad mistakes in the final two rounds. It just feels great to be a conference champion."
King's performance makes him the fourth member of the team that has led the squad in scoring during the team's six tournaments. The versatility of the team made them a difficult opponent to match up against all season.
"The fact that anyone on the team can lead us at any given time proves that we have the deepest team around," said Miller, who led the team in three of the six tournaments. "We do not have to rely on one player every week, and that is how you create a championship team."
With the GLIAC championship trophy safely in Saginaw, and the fall portion of the season behind them, the team is eagerly looking forward to the spring season when they can compete in the super regional and fight for a bid to the national championships.
The Cardinals do know, however, that as they sit at the top of the region, they can come crashing down just as easily as they got there.
"Going into the winter, with this win under our belts, puts a huge target on our backs," Miller said. "We will have to work even harder to stay on top through the spring and into the super regional and the national championships."
With a wonderful season behind them, the Cardinals have the swagger that they need in order to be successful in the spring and not make the fall season wasted experience.
"This is a huge momentum boost for our spring season," King said. "We are going to be competing against the top teams in the country this spring and that is where this team belongs."