Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Middle Tennessee
Gary Koch Invitational
Challenge gets tougher as men's golf heads to Gary Koch Invitational
10/1/2010 11:30:00 AM | Men's Golf
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - If the Middle Tennessee men's golf team can continue their pattern of improving from one tournament to the next, Coach Whit Turnbow will be a happy man.
In both of their first two fall tournaments, his Blue Raiders have improved round by round. They ended the Mason Rudolph Championship last Sunday by firing a collective 10-under-par 274, tying tournament winner Memphis for the low round of the entire weekend. It also allowed the team to move up to fifth place in the final standings.
"Overall, we are young and still learning, and all of this is still new to some of them," said Turnbow. "As much golf as they have played in their life, they haven't played much team golf. It is different from high school, the courses are longer and more difficult, so to see steady improvement from day to day, and week to week, is encouraging.
"That last round on Sunday was a confidence builder. More than anything else, it let them know that they have it in them, and that they can go out and do it. And they have a couple of pretty good leaders in Hunter Green and Jason Millard, so they are coming along nicely."
The next challenge for the Blue Raiders will be the Gary Koch Invitational in Tampa, FL this weekend, and Turnbow expects it to be another learning experience.
Millard, the lone senior, and Green, a junior, will be joined by sophomore Brad Simons and freshmen Brett Patterson and Paul Sansom, the same quintet that played last week.
Patterson led the way in the Mason Rudolph with 72-69-69 - 210, and has a stroke average of 72.2 for his two tournaments. Millard, who finished fifth overall the week before, was third on the team at the Mason Rudolph, but still leads the Blue Raiders with his 70.8 stroke average. Green is next with 71.8 average followed by Patterson.
"This will be another step up for the young guys. This field is going to be really good, with Florida State, North Carolina, South Florida, North Florida, Kentucky and Auburn, plus some other good teams."
The course, Old Memorial, is a little more difficult than the two previous courses this fall, but Turnbow said it is still very similar, and has a couple of distinct characteristics of its own. "It's an old golf course, built by the owners of Outback Steakhouse, and it's a good, long, hard test of golf. There is one hole that's nearly 700 yards long. Plus it's in Tampa, and will be hotter than it is here."
Turnbow pointed out one other factor that they haven't encountered so far this fall, one that will let them know what kind of shape they are in.
"They will play 36 holes on Saturday, and then 18 holes on Sunday. The young ones haven't played 36 holes on one day in a tournament very often, if at all. It will be an interesting ordeal as well for the young guys. That heat down there, and the 36 holes, is going to take a toll on them, but it is part of the process that we are trying to teach them. They are going to understand this week what Mike Wilson does for us is so important."
Wilson is the Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Blue Raiders.
"But they are ready for the challenge, and they are going to have the opportunity this week to go and play against some of the best in the country," said Turnbow.
Blue Raider fans may follow the tournament online at GolfStat.com on both Saturday and Sunday.
