Coming off an impressive second-place finish out of 13 teams at the Rehoboth Beach Fall Invitational, the Penn men’s golf team is looking for an equally strong performance this weekend at the Big Five Classic.
The Big Five Classic is essentially two tournaments wrapped into one weekend. The City Six teams will play with 15 visitors — including the likes of national powerhouse Kentucky — in the main tournament, while the local schools also play for Brotherly Love’s bragging rights.
Last year, the Quakers finished first out of the Philadelphia-area colleges and fourth overall.
This year’s tournament will be at the Plymouth Country Club in Plymouth Meeting, Pa., a venue that Penn coach Scott Allen calls “a short, tricky golf course.”
In order to prepare for this different type of course, the Quakers have been practicing at the shorter and narrower Wissahickon Course at the Philadelphia Cricket Club, rather than the longer and more open Militia Hill Course.
This week’s inclement weather limited the Quakers’ practice time, but when they were out on the course, they were focusing on their short game.
“I think we’ve won the Big Five title four out of the last six years,” Allen said. “We’re looking to keep that success going.”
The Quakers are also excited to see how they stack up with Kentucky, what Allen calls one of the nation’s stronger golf programs.
This weekend will be the final tune-up for the Red and Blue before they head to Rhode Island on Oct. 16 to compete in the Northeast Invitational.
“This will be our last tournament before the winter break, and it will be more of a test because a lot of the Ivy League schools will be there,” Allen said. “We are hoping to finish our fall season strong.”
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