At long last, the BG men’s golf team will get to trade in their rain gear and umbrellas for shorts and polos when they travel to Fort Meyers, Fla., this weekend to wrap up the fall season at the Renaissance Invitational.
‘When the schedule came out, this was definitely a week that everyone was pointing toward,’ said coach Garry Winger. ‘We are all excited to spend a few days in the warm weather.’
The tournament boasts a strong and deep field that includes Indiana and Penn State from the Big Ten and familiar foes Ball State and Xavier.
‘This is a big event,’ Winger said. ‘It will probably be the strongest field overall that we’ve gone against this year.’
When the Falcons arrive in Fort Meyers, they will find a golf course that should offer plenty of scoring chances. Renaissance Country Club is a posh resort layout that offers wide, forgiving fairways and large greens.
‘Renaissance was designed by the same man who designed Stone Ridge [the Falcons home course],’ Winger said. ‘So we are hoping to feel pretty comfortable there.’
The hot man coming into the week for the Falcons is Drew Preston, who has a win and three top-5 finishes to his credit this season.
‘This fall has been a terrific learning opportunity for me,’ Preston said. ‘It’s the first time in college that I have consistently been in contention, which has really taught me how to handle my emotions when I get in those situations. I am much more even-keel on the golf course than I was last year.’
More than just a chance to soak up the Florida sun, this tournament represents an opportunity for the Falcons to put one more solid finish on the board before retreating into hibernation for the winter.
‘We’ve let a couple opportunities get away from us the last couple weeks, but overall we are very happy with how we have played,’ said senior Matt Schneider.
Winger also feels the fall season has been a successful one.
‘Overall, it has been a pretty successful first half of the season,’ Winger said. ‘Although, I still feel like we have a lot of capacity for improvement. It would be nice to get one more high finish, because you never know how rusty guys will be coming back in the spring.’
