Last spring, the Ivy League golf title came down to the last nine holes of the Ivy League Championship. The Quakers had three seniors -- Chad Perman, Peyton Wallace and Endel Liias -- leading the way.
The Quakers finished second.
The seniors are all gone.
After losing his senior leadership, Penn men's golf coach Heath Davidson looked outside the program to reload for the fall.
"One of the things I've done to ease the transition to this year is to bring in a transfer," he said.
Junior Larry Nickell played in one of the top spots for Austin College in Sherman, Texas, and according to Davidson, "will be really instrumental in bringing in experience at the collegiate level."
Nickell will join returning Quakers Adam Squires, Jeff Riley, Scott Squires, Brett Carlson and Derek Rogers.
The team has especially high hopes for Rogers, who last year -- as a freshman -- finished eighth at the Ivy League Championships.
Davidson pointed to freshmen Sean Barrett and Patrick Cooper as potential future stars after excellent showings throughout high school, as well as this summer in state and national events.
As of last night, Davidson had not determined a starting five for this weekend's trip to the Navy Invitational.
After losing three pivotal players in the Penn golf program Davidson acknowledged this fall would be an adjustment from the spring.
Our success is "yet to be determined," Davidson said. "I think we have a good chance. We definitely have talent. We'll see what happens when we get out there."
The fall season features four tournaments, the last of which is Penn's own event, the Big Five Invitational. It will be held at the Quakers' home course, the Philadelphia Cricket Club on October 18-19. Penn will meet Ivy League rivals Princeton, Yale and Columbia at different points throughout the fall.
The Quakers will largely concentrate on avenging last year's 11-stroke loss to Yale and capturing an Ivy League title.
"We are obviously disappointed, but a lot of good came from the experience," Davidson said. "We put ourselves in a position to win in the last nine holes. That's really all you can ask."
In practice this year, the Penn head coach plans to have his team play fewer rounds and focus more on specifics, especially the short game.
The fall season does not have an Ivy competition, but Davidson said that "it's a good opportunity to see how everyone does under pressure."
Season Preview Home course: Philadelphia Cricket Club Last year: Second in Ivy League Championships Starters lost: (3) Endel Liias, Chad Perman, Peyton Wallace Starters returning: (2) Derek Rogers, Adam Squires Key tournament: Oct. 18-19. The Quakers host the Big 5 Invitational at their home course, the Philadelphia Cricket Club. It is the only tournament that Penn will host this season.
Player to watch: Derek Rogers Rogers helped pace the Quakers to their second-place finish at Ivy League Championships by finishing eighth overall at the two-day event.
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