Millersburg, IN — The Goshen College men’s golf team officially opened its 2007 season with the third annual Goshen College Invitational on Friday, defeating both the wind and Purdue University-North Central in a dual match.
With Timber Ridge Golf Course fortunately dodging area rain and thunderstorms throughout the day, players did have to combat 20 to 30 m.p.h. wind gusts. Goshen was able to handle the conditions effectively, however, carding a team score 333 — just one shot higher than the squad’s 332 tally last season (click here for article). While that score proved to be the team’s lowest of 2006, fourth-year head coach Cory Furman said he hopes his team can get even lower this year.
“You can look at this in two different ways,” Furman said. “You can think about the conditions today, which were less than ideal, or you can think about the fact that our guys are familiar with this place, as it is our home course. Either way, I’m pushing for our guys to card a team score in the 320’s before this year is done. I think we have the depth and the talent to do it.”
No Goshen player carded a score in the 70’s on Friday — sophomore Shawn Martz was the team medalist with an 80 — but the Leafs’ collective depth was too much for the visiting Panthers to overcome. Purdue-North Central finished with a 355 team score, 16 strokes off its ’06 tally of 339.
The Panthers’ Chris Schultz took tournament medalist honors — and the vaunted Greg Hire Trophy — in shooting a 76. That score kept a Goshen player from securing the Hire Trophy for the first time, as the University of St. Francis captured both the '05 and '06 individual low scores.
Junior and newcomer Luke Penner seemed primed to have a legit chance at capturing the award, but a difficult back nine hurt his cause. After carding a front-nine 40 (and trailing Schultz by just three shots) Penner scored a 46 on the back, finishing with an 86.
“Luke was disappointed with his play, especially since he carded a 77 just two days earlier in our intra-squad qualifying match,” Furman said. “He’s the type of kid who will just shrug it off and most likely play better next time.”
Unattached golfer Tyler Roth turned in Goshen’s second-best score with an impressive 82, while freshman Ryan Hallman (85) was the Leafs’ other scoring player.
Martz, who used a consistent 40-40 round to capture his team-low and collegiate career-best 80, bettered his 2006 Goshen Invite score of 86 and annihilated his overall scoring average — 101.3 — from last season.
“Shawn used his short game to offset a tough day on the tee box,” Furman said. “If he gets his long ball figured out, he could get really low before the season is over. I’m hopeful that he’ll do some good things as the season progresses.”
Goshen will next participate in the Bethel College Fall Invitational on Wednesday — an eight-team tournament with a different twist: The Leafs will use its seven-man team in a two-man scramble, a two-man alternate shot and a two-man best ball event, with one player slated as a traditional, individual score.
“Next Wednesday should be fun,” Furman said. “The tough part is trying to figure out exactly where to place these guys, but we’ll do our best. It’s the first big tournament of the season for us, and we’re excited to see how we compete collectively.”
That tournament will take place at Knollwood Country Club. A shotgun tee time is scheduled for 11 a.m.
Final Results
Goshen College Invitational
Timber Ridge Golf Course
GOSHEN COLLEGE – (333) Penner, 40/46, 86; Unrein, 48/43, 91; TenHarmsel, 46/43, 89; Hallman, 44/41, 85; Martz, 40/40, 80; Springer, 49/47, 96; Roth, 41/41, 82
PURDUE UNIVERSITY-NORTH CENTRAL
– (355) Schultz, 37/39, 76; Cappello, 46/44, 90; Selman, 38/42, 80; Stanley, 55/54, 109; Zolper, 63/54, 117
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Sophomore Shawn Martz