M. Golf second at Big 5 tourney

If the fall season indicates how well the men's golf team will do come the more important spring season, the Quakers have a successful season to look forward to.

The team finished tied for second at this weekend's Big 5 Classic held at the Philadelphia Cricket Club. Columbia came in first with a plus-23 score of 591, while the Quakers and Georgetown tied for second with a 604 plus-36. In addition, the Quakers finished several spots ahead of Villanova, St. Joseph's, La Salle and Temple to win the Big 5 mini-tournament.

Despite finishing second to fellow Ivy League team Columbia, the team's finish pleased head coach Rob Powelson.

"We did great this weekend," he said. "All in all, the tournament was a success."

This weekend's achievement concluded a successful fall schedule for the team.

"We had a great fall season," Powelson said. "We had three second-place finishes, and even when we came in 11th, we still beat Princeton. We made a statement this fall that we're a competitive team."

It was especially gratifying that the win came at home against both top-level teams and intracity rivals.

"It was pretty exciting to beat these teams, especially at home," sophomore Mike Blodgett said. "It was a good feeling and extra special to come out on top of the Big 5."

Blodgett led the Quakers with a six-over-par 148 that placed him tied for fourth in the entire tournament. Junior Dean Merrill finished one stroke behind Blodgett, good for sole possession of sixth place. Both players made all-tournament and all-Big 5 teams.

Blodgett gained some early momentum when he started Saturday's opening round with some birdies.

"The early talk of the tournament was my four-under after five holes," he said. "During this stretch, I just didn't have that much work to do since my shots were falling."

Besides beating out all other Philadelphia-area schools, the Quakers also beat several higher-ranked in the Mid Atlantic Regional Rankings.

"Today's win was great because we beat Richmond and Penn State, two teams ranked ahead of us," Powelson said. "From a district ranking perspective, we should be in a good spot when the first rankings are released in December."

These rankings determine which teams get at large bids to the NCAA Tournament in April. To qualify for the tournament the Quakers would need to either finish first in Ivy League play or get a top-four ranking in their region.

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