A quick glance at the BG men’s golf roster reveals the listing of eight names; however, NCAA rules dictate that only five players can be utilized for tournament play.
With the season’s first tournament rapidly approaching, the Falcons spent last weekend completing their annual qualifying rounds, used to determine which five individuals will give the team its best chance for success this fall.
The process is simple: each member of the team plays five (or, in the case of this year, four) 18-hole rounds, and the five with the lowest cumulative scores earn the privilege of representing their team in the upcoming tournaments.
Those five players for this fall are seniors Matt Schneider and John Powers, sophomores Drew Preston and Parker Hewit and freshman Wes Gates.
‘Last weekend definitely showed which players put in the time and improved over the summer,’ said coach Garry Winger. ‘Qualifying does a nice job of simulating the feel of a tournament. It’s a nice way for some players to get their competitive juices flowing and feel a little tournament pressure.’
Although Mother Nature thwarted plans for a fifth round Monday, Winger is nevertheless pleased with the weekend’s results.
‘We ended up with five players who I feel very comfortable with, and who I think give us a great chance at every tournament,’ Winger said.
The five qualifiers for this year’s team represent a mix of experience and youth from the senior and team captain Schneider, down to the freshman, Gates, who, though he is the youngest, suffers little doubt that he has what it takes to start in college.
‘To be honest, I thought I had a great chance to start coming into this year,’ Gates said. ‘If you play sports I think you have to have that confidence in yourself in order to succeed.’
Schneider, on the other hand, was less than totally enthused with his performance, but he is confident that all issues with his game will be corrected by the time Monday’s tournament rolls around.
‘I could have played better,’ Schneider said. ‘My driver was a little bit off, but I’ve played Stone Ridge [Country Club] a lot so I knew where and where not to miss, and I was able to score OK.
‘I haven’t played in a tournament in about a month, so I think it’s just a matter of getting back in a competitive groove. I should be fine on Monday.’
As a whole, Winger is excited about the potential this group holds.
‘All five of them are extremely talented,’ Winger said. ‘In my ten years here this is the most depth we have had. The sky is truly the limit for these guys.’
