Soggy James Madison Invite on tap for M. Golf

After a sloppy performance last week in the rain at the Navy Invitational, the Penn men's golf team may have to again brave the weather with the arrival of Hurricane Isabel.

"We got off to a bad start in the first round last week," Penn coach Heath Davidson said. "But in the second round we competed with some of the top teams in the district."

Penn sophomore Derek Rogers and junior transfer Larry Nickell will look to lead a young Penn men's golf team against several mid-Atlantic teams, including Ivy League rival Princeton this weekend at the James Madison Invitational in Harrisonburg, Va.

The Quakers and Tigers last met at the 2002-2003 Ivy League Championship where Penn came in second, finishing seven strokes ahead of third-place Princeton.

In addition to Princeton, the Quakers will square off with Penn State, St. John's and James Madison, as well as the winner of last week's Navy Invitational, Georgetown.

Georgetown bested the Quakers by 30 strokes in last weekend's contest. Despite this, Davidson is looking forward to this week's tournament.

"This will be the best field we've played in this year, which will give us an indication of where we're at and what we need to improve on," Davidson said.

Due to the approach of Hurricane Isabel, the tournament, initially scheduled to be played this Saturday and Sunday, has already been postponed a day. It is now slated for Sunday and Monday. The teams will play a grueling 36 holes on Sunday and 18 on Monday.

"It's an endurance contest playing 36," Rogers said. "If it's raining during that time, it is going to be grueling. It's tough to stay focused and keep your goals in mind when you are getting poured on out there."

Harrisonburg is expecting five to eight inches of rain in the next few days, which will make play on Saturday impossible. This will prevent the Quakers from playing their normal practice round. The lack of practice could affect their performance as only one member of the team has ever played the course.

The weather will also affect Penn's tactics this weekend. The wet conditions will lengthen the course as balls will not travel as far after landing.

"It does change your strategy," Davidson said. "You can be more aggressive off the tee because where the ball hits, it generally stays."

Yesterday, Davidson was uncertain which five players will travel to James Madison this weekend. While it is certain that Nickell and Rogers will be playing, the other three spots are as of yet undetermined.

Last week the Quakers used two freshmen, Sean Barrett and Patrick Cooper, who both turned in solid performances, finishing 35th and 55th, respectively, in their Penn debuts.

Despite the fact that Davidson has yet to decide on a lineup, he is pleased at the progress his team has made so far.

"We're hitting the ball well in practice this week as a team," Davidson said. "The more we get out there, especially in inclement weather, the better off we'll be."

Rogers, too, is confident in his team's chances this weekend.

"This is one of the stronger fields we'll face all year, and I think it's a great test for us to show how we are compared to some of the top programs in the nation," Rogers said. "We can show the teams in the region how good we are, and show Princeton that we are going to be tough to beat."

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