Men's Golf preps to storm St. John's Invitational

Chad Perman did not dream that he would shoot a four-under 67 at the James Madison Invitational this past weekend. The former Virginia state Junior Champion from Hunt Valley, Md., expected it.

"I practiced real hard this past summer and straightened up a few flaws," senior co-captain Perman said. "And everything seemed to go my way this weekend."

It certainly did. Perman finished seventh overall at the JMU Invite with a five-under-par total score of 208.

And all his teammates could do was marvel at Perman's prowess on the golf course.

"I was not at all surprised by Chad's performance," said senior Endel Liias. "He's that good."

But Perman will not let his early success sway his focus. He is determined to finish his golf career at Penn in a memorable fashion.

"I've spent a lot of time working on my game," said Perman. "And nothing would be more satisfying than a good final year."

Perman's biggest goal for the season, though, is for the Quakers to play well as a team and ultimately to win the Ivy League Championship.

But that is long-term. Right now, the team is focused on raising its district rank at the St. John's Invitational this weekend.

Because of amended Ivy League rules, the Red and Blue have played in two fewer tournaments than their district rivals.

That is not to say, though, that the Quakers have changed their goals for the year.

"I expect us to move up in the standings," Perman said. "I'm hoping that we can finish in the top five."

A top-five finish is a distinct possibility, especially considering that Perman is on top of his game, and that the entire squad played solid golf in the last two rounds at JMU.

"We've got three seniors who are playing well," said Liias. "And the freshmen are improving every day."

But improvement on the golf course is not all that the Quakers are after this weekend.

They are also looking to have some fun at the 2002 U.S. Open course in Jamaica, New York, site of the St. John's Invite.

"We're very excited about playing on such a great course," Liias said. "It should be a lot nicer and more enjoyable than the JMU Invite."

Top scores, however, will not be that easy to come by, as the Quakers will be competing on a course that is nearly on par with that of the U.S. Open course at the same venue.

"The course is going to be tougher than last week's, which favors us," Perman said. "It will be harder to get birdies, and so we should have a good showing."

But will the challenging course put a halt to Perman's hot streak?

Perman does not seem to think so.

"I'm feeling really good about my game, Perman said. "I expect a good week."

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