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Printer-Friendly ModeEven par needed if men want to advance
April 26, 2010 —
Finals week is usually a time students cram for exams.
For the SVSU golf team, cramming for exams will be mixed in with practice sessions in preparation for the NCAA Division II Super Regionals.
Thanks to back-to-back third place finishes at the Findlay Invitational and Tiffin University Kyle Ryman Memorial, the Cardinals qualified for the tournament taking place May 3-5 in Duncan, Okla.
Although pleased with the Cardinals advancing, head coach Joe Vogl knows SVSU still has a lot of work to do.
“As far as short term goals, we beat Findlay, Ashland and Northwood which all but secured us our spot at the Super Regionals,” Vogl said. “I wanted us to gain momentum heading into the tournament although we had some bad last few holes which really took that away from us.”
At the Kyle Ryman Memorial, senior Dieter Schulz shot back-to-back 74s to earn a tie for fifth place and a spot on the All Tournament Team.
“I’ve been happy all year with the way Dieter has played,” Vogl said. “You always love to see a senior that is graduating have a good year. It was kind of a nice way to cap his year.”
Rounding out the scoring for the Cardinals was junior Nate Kelly with rounds of 80-75, senior Jonathan Lange with 78-78, senior Rob Ronk with 79- 78, and senior Brian King with 79-76.
Vogl was glad to see Kelly, Ronk and King improve their scores in the second round.
“That’s kind of been our forte all year,” he said. “We’re usually not too happy with our first round score but we usually do a good job of bouncing back the second day.”
Vogl acknowledged how SVSU’s experience has played a factor in its success.
“When you have four seniors and two juniors, you kind of expect that they will make adjustments and things like that in order to get better in the second round,” he said.
To prepare for the tournament, Vogl said the Cardinals will have three different practice sessions throughout the week. On Friday, the entire team will gather for a team competition.
“Friday is just a fun tournament that takes place between the team.” Vogl said. “Afterward we’ll cook out. It’s kind of like a end of year banquet for us.”
Vogl is still working on finalizing travel plans, although he believes the Cardinals will head out sometime Saturday.
The tournament takes place at Territory Golf Club, a course that no Cardinals have played.
“We’ll get a chance to play a practice round on Sunday afternoon,” Vogl said. “It’s a shotgun start that begins at 1p.m. that allows all teams to get a chance to view the course.”
To accomplish their next goal of advancing to the NCAA Finals in Noblesville, IN., Vogl thinks the Cardinals will have to shoot around even par.
“In order for us to be one of the top five teams, I think I’m going to need my top four guys to shoot right around even,” he said. “It’s hard to say though without ever seeing the course.”
Even though SVSU doesn’t know the course, Vogl isn’t as concerned with the lack of experience as much as he is with other factors.
“I think we have to pick it up mentally,” he said. “We’ve got enough rounds under our belts this spring that I think we’re pretty set physically.”