It's spring swing time for Golf at Navy Invitational

William Flynn, a famous Philadelphian, designed Navy's course. The Penn men's golf team looks to continue its success from the fall as it opens the all-important spring season this weekend at the Navy Invitational in Annapolis, Md. At the two-day tournament played this Saturday and Sunday, the Quakers hope to be competitive at Navy, one of only two spring tournaments in preparation for the Ivy Championships later this month at Bethpage State Park on Long Island. "The most important part of this tournament will be the field we are competing against," Penn junior Adam Bradshaw said. This is very true since Penn, currently ranked 10th in the district, will be facing eight of the nine higher-ranked teams at Navy. Facing all of its main foes, Penn will be able to use the Navy Invite as a barometer for its postseason chances, since selection to the NCAA tournament is based on a team's ranking within its district. Princeton, the only top 10 team not competing at Navy, will face the Quakers at both the Ivy Championships and the Princeton Invitational. Penn, like all Ivy League schools, is permitted a limited number golf tournament days, which places the Quakers at a disadvantage to other top teams competing at Navy. This rule forces the Quakers to take their untested game against well-prepared foes. Either way, the Quakers feel ready for their first test of the spring season. "We'll fare quite well," Penn coach Francis Vaughn said. "We are a lot better prepared this year than last year -- that is very apparent." While the experience gained in the offseason at the team's indoor practice facility has clearly paid off, Vaughn notes that "it has been a while since they played in a tournament." Even faced with tournament-tested foes, the Quakers plan to play well. "We're prepared to shoot some good numbers," Quakers junior Adam Bradshaw said. "Our performance will allow us to benchmark ourselves for the season." While the entire five-man team is still not fully set for this weekend's event, three competitors are certain. Bradshaw and two freshmen, Rob Goldfaden and Rob Hunt, will be joined by two others from a group of about four other golfers competing for the final spots. "Both Adam and Rob are striking the ball very well," Vaughn said. Unlike previous years, when Penn often relied on the top few golfers to carry the team, the Quakers now feel they can score well throughout the lineup. "This tournament will test the deepness of the team," Bradshaw said. The Navy Invitational will be contested on the Midshipmen's home course, a William Flynn design. Flynn, a noted golf course architect and native Philadelphian, is also the designer of numerous U.S. Open venues and many of the nation's top 100 golf courses. His courses include 1995 Open site Shinnecock Hills and Philadelphia's own top 10 course, the Merion Golf Club. The Navy course, while not ranked among the top 100, is still noted as one of the nation's top collegiate courses. "I expect the greens to be in great shape," Vaughn said. The Quakers had what was their best fall season in years and now show great confidence in their ability to extend that success through the spring campaign. After winning their first tournaments in years -- the Bucknell Invitational and the Lehigh Invitational -- this past fall, the Quakers hope to add an Ivy championship to their list of accomplishments.