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SEPT.
25 — PNC Gets Sloppy Revenge On Home Turf
Lack of good
golf paints picture for both squads; Goshen shoots season high |
LaPorte, IN — Monday afternoon
at Briar Leaf Golf Club, the Goshen College men’s golf
team continued a trend that no one in the program wanted to prolong.
Once again, the Leafs upped their highest score of the season.
A beautiful day could not keep Goshen from posting a team total
392, the team’s highest total of the season as well as recent
memory — the Leafs’ previous program high was last
season’s 378 in the second round of the Mid-Central Conference
Championships (click here for related article). Host Purdue University-North
Central exacted revenge on Goshen in shooting a 372; Goshen bettered
the Panthers’ 339 with a 332 score in its own invitational
earlier in the season (click here for article).
“It was not a good day for either team here today,” said
Cory Furman, Goshen head coach. “Unfortunately, we were a
tad worse.”
No Goshen player broke the 90 plateau on the day, as senior Joel
Kauffman’s 46-47 — 93 was his first tally above 89
since his freshman season. To Goshen’s defense, the team
was without freshman and number two golfer Zach Wright, who missed
the match due to severe turf toe in both feet.
“We lose a scorer without Zach, but we still should have
done much better than this,” Furman said. “We are struggling
for some reason right now. Perhaps we can play even more loosely
as the MCC Championships near.”
The Leafs’ season trend is the exact opposite of what Furman
had hoped for, as Goshen’s initial 332 card — 16 strokes
lower than its best score of 2005 — has increased nearly
exponentially in its following matches. Furman’s squad has
posted scores of 370, 376 and now 392 since its first match, putting
the team’s season average at 367.5, more than a stroke off
the 2005 squad’s 364.3 standard.
“Golf is a funny game in that sometimes the numbers can be
misleading,” Furman
said. “We are a more talented team than last year, and this
course is nowhere near as demanding as Blackthorn (Golf Course,
home of the MCC Championships). Our scores would negate both those
opinions.”
Near ideal conditions Monday did not yield solid scoring for either
team, as Purdue-North Central posted no scores in the 70’s
and none below the 85 mark. PNC’s Jon Lofberg took individual
medalist honors in shooting a 42-44 — 86. Only one other
player (the Panthers’ number two golfer) shot in the 80’s
with a final score of 45-43 — 88.
“I know it’s not the best quote to give, but I’m
not sure why we’re struggling,” Furman said. “Our
guys seem confident. They seem loose and ready to play. For some
reason we’re having a hard time finishing holes and rounds
how we’d like.”
Junior Brett Troyer provided the most promise for the Goshen cause
Monday, shooting a front-nine 43, second best behind Lofberg’s
42. Unfortunately, Troyer carded a 53 on the back, giving him a
total 96 for the tournament. He was the second lowest score on
the day for the Leafs.
“The course was deceptive and it was very, very wet in some
areas,” Furman
said. “We should have been playing lift, clean and place
(rules), but we didn’t by the club pro’s direction.
All we can do is keep plugging away. We’ll head to Huntington
next, hit Blackthorn for a practice round and then give it our
best at the MCC’s. It’s all I can ask of our guys – to
try their absolute best.”
Goshen will travel to Huntington to participate in the Forester
Fall Invitational, the final regular-season match before the MCC
Championships next week. Friday’s match will take place at
LaFontaine Golf Course. Tee times are tentatively scheduled to
begin at 12 p.m.
Final Results
Purdue University-North Central Dual Match
Briar Leaf Golf Club
GOSHEN COLLEGE – (392) Kauffman, 46/47 93;
Unrein, 53/49 102; Martz, 50/51 101; Troyer, 43/53 96; Roth, 52/55
107; Springer 52/51 103
PURDUE-NORTH CENTRAL – (375)
Lofberg, 42/44 86; Selman, 45/43 88; Cappello, 46/48 94; Jackson,
60/60 120; Earegood,
DNF; Burden, WD; Kucharski, 59/48 107 |
  Junior
Brett Troyer
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