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Printer-Friendly ModeGolf squad takes third at Ferris invite
Team's play, youth gives coach optimism for GLIAC championship
September 19, 2005 —
The SVSU men's golf team started their season off on a solid foot this past weekend with a third-place finish at the Bulldog Men's Fall Invitation held in Big Rapids.
The Bulldog Invitation, held at Katke Golf Course on the campus of Ferris State University, highlighted eight out of the 11 participating schools coming from the GLIAC conference. The tournament gave head coach Andy Bethune a good idea of what to expect from his players this season as they compete for the GLIAC championship.
"We are going to come out every match and compete as a team," he said. "We are figuring to be one of the top teams in the GLIAC this year."
Ferris won the event with a two-day total of 581, while the Cardinals finished with a 595, which was nine shots out of second place and 14 back from first.
Top individual honors for the Cardinals went to junior Adam Miller, who finished with a two-over-par 146 (rounds of 72 and 74) which was good enough to put him in a tie for eighth place overall. Senior Adam Haswell chipped in with a 149 (74, 75) to finish in a tie for 16th. Sophomore Mike King carded a 150 (75, 75), while junior Joe Beyer (151), junior Scott Urquhart (153), sophomore Sean Rutherford (153), and freshman Sean Patrick (154) rounded out the scoring for the Cardinals.
The results of the tournament gave Bethune even more confidence in his team and the direction that they hope to travel during this young season.
"It was the first tournament of the year, but the scores are a good indication of the capabilities that this team has," he said. "We have the talent to be at the top of the conference."
Having only one senior on a team that hopes to compete for a conference championship could be perceived by some to be a disadvantage for the Cardinals. Bethune, however, sees it as an opportunity for other members of the team to step up and take the reins this season.
"We have a strong lineup from top to bottom," he said. "Everyone on the team is capable of putting up big numbers. Every week there will have to be one guy that steps up and leads the team. We have about four or five guys that can come out and win any one of these tournaments."
The Cardinals continue their season with a trip to Grand Rapids today to compete in the Grand Valley State Invitational.