Men's Golf Aims for A-Sun Title in 2009

- J. Andrew Lockwood -
Senior Editor / Sports Columnist
james.andrew.lockwood@student.mercer.edu

The men’s golf may not have won any tournaments this past fall, but if you’re keeping tabs on head coach Andrew Tredway’s team, you should know by now that special things are coming the Bears’ way.  Finishing the fall 2008 season with the #10 Freshman Class in the Nation (Golfstat.com), Mercer is primed to make a serious run at the Atlantic Sun title in April. 

            “We have a big challenge ahead of us, but I think it's very attainable. Making it into the NCAA championship without the need of the Atlantic Sun's automatic qualifier is a very lofty goal, but very realistic. I don't think any team in any sport at Mercer has ever done this and it's something we are definitely aiming for,” commented Tredway.  He added, "In order for that to happen we have to play well week in and week out.  It's that simple."

            One of three seniors on the squad, Bill Jones III also feels confident about the upcoming tournaments, saying, “We have a couple of early tournaments in February where we have a great chance to play well.  We’ve got some great players this year and the work we’ve been putting in since the fall should begin to show very soon this spring.”  In his final campaign, Jones hopes to better his fourth best round average (75.88) in the upcoming tournaments.

            This will also be the final slate of tournaments for seniors Ryan Blackburn and Ryan Peters, who will eventually hand off the reigns of the squad impact freshmen Devin Patel and Andres Pumariega.  Patel and Pumariega have raised a few eyebrows in their first three tournaments as Bears, posted the top two round averages on the team (72.5 and 73.5) with consistent play.

            With consistent play out of his underclassmen, Tredway envisions the Bears reaching some rather lofty goals this season, but realizes that achieving any of these goals will take a team effort.  “We really need some other guys to step up this spring and consistently pit together quality tournaments. We need to have 3-4 players finishing top 20 every week and I think this team is capable of that,” said Tredway.

            A challenging fall season will likely prepare the Bears for the spring schedule, which includes trips to six different states.  Mercer’s first stop will come on February 9^th and 10^th as they enter the Mardi Gras Invitational in New Orleans, Louisiana.  "Our first event in New Orleans is going to be a good one. It's at TPC Louisiana where the PGA Tour's Zurich Classic is held. I think we'll be ready to go come February 9,” added the second year coach.

Afterwards, stops in Florida, California, and Mississippi will give them ample time to prepare for the A-Sun Tournament in Buies Creek, North Carolina, April 20^th – 22^nd.