Time is ticking for the men's golf team and its upperclassmen. With only two tournaments left before Ivy Championships, the seniors - Michael Kornheiser and captain Dean Merrill - are almost finished their collegiate careers.
They will continue their final quest for an Ivy Title at the Notre Dame Invitational in Sount Bend, Ind. Of the 10-team field, two of the stronger squads are Northwestern and Notre Dame.
This upcoming tournament will be good preparation for the team and will help the Quakers to gauge themselves against some top-flight competition.
"It is a special opportunity for us to go to Notre Dame," said first-year assistant coach Chad Perman. "It is a reward for our seniors."
Teeing up with Merrill and Kornheiser this weekend for the Quakers will be juniors Michael Blodgett, Brett Rendina and Bill McCrossan.
One name is surprisingly missing from the lineup. Standout freshman Kevin Huntington, one of the team's top finishers, will not travel to Notre Dame to compete tomorrow. Along with Blodgett, he posted a low round for the course against UC San Diego over spring break, and his seventh-place finish in the GW Invitational helped the Quakers tie for third with Navy.
"It has nothing to do with our freshman's playing ability," Perman said. "It is a chance for [him] to practice a little more."
Merrill believes the team will be able to cope on the course without Huntington.
"Obviously, we're a pretty deep team," he said. "We have seven or eight players that can play . [The people going] deserve it."
Heading into this weekend, he is also trying to improve his own composure.
"I was disappointed in a few of the decisions I made," Merrill said of the GW Invitational. "I was overly aggressive a few times. I started making decisions based on how I was playing," which, he noted, was poorly at times.
But the team prefers to make mistakes now rather than later. With good competition this weekend, the Red and Blue seem ready to take on the challenge.
"We're seeing a better group of guys every week," said Perman, "That's my job."
