Golfers to Take Part in Cardinal Intercollegiate
9/26/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Golden Eagles hit links for second fall tournament
MILWAUKEE ? Head coach Tim Grogan is a firm believer in the fact that how one plays on the course should determine who is on the course.
Therefore, he holds a qualifying tournament among his players to determine two of the spots of the five to compete for each tournament.
Now that Grogan has a deep squad, the qualifying tournaments have become more competitive, as was the one heading into The Cardinal Intercollegiate, a tournament at which Marquette will compete on September 26-27 in Simpsonville, Ky.
The two best finishers from the team's previous tournament are automatic qualifiers. Freshman Mike Van Sickle and senior Nathan Colson were automatically on the roster for the Cardinal Intercollegiate based on their finish at the John Piper Intercollegiate two weeks ago. A 54-hole qualifier determined two of the other three, with Grogan selecting the final participant.
Six Marquette golfers took their turns on Brown Deer, Ozaukee and the Bog in order to secure a spot on the playing roster for this event. According to Grogan, the field was a tight one. Heading into the final round, three strokes separated four players.
Grogan holds the qualifier to keep his team competitive.
"These qualifiers keep everyone on edge and pushes the guys to have to practice and improve their game," he said. "It keeps everyone from settling and getting complacent."
Grogan still maintains the final selection, keeping the coach involved.
"You take a guy with that final spot who's a 'gamer;' someone like Joe Weber who had a final round 68 at Bowling Green," Grogan said. "A guy like that plays well in tournaments, but he might have had a tough week with four tests. If he had some distractions and didn't do well in qualifying, I still want the ability to have him out there."
Sophomore Ted Gray and seniors Steve Sass and Joe Weber are Marquette's other participants in this tournament.
The field at the Cardinal Intercollegiate includes BIG EAST foe and host Louisville.
"Louisville right now is expected to be the top team in the BIG EAST," Grogan said. "It's our first time to play them this year and it will be a good gauge of where we are."
Last season, Marquette shot eight-over, 871 and finished second in the 19-team field. Sass led Marquette with a third place finish on The Cardinal Club, a 7,001-yard, par 72 course.
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