By David Mann
The University of Louisville men’s golf team is looking to regroup after coming into this season with only four returning players. They are wanting to put the controversial end to last season behind them and move on. Yet, the returning players, along with a highly talented group of recruits, should greatly help in the effort to put the past behind them.
Of those returning, senior Grant Sturgeon impressed many with an even 74.00 average last year. Fellow senior Dean Halterman competed in all but one tournament last year and finished with a very respectable 76.65. Sophomores Matt Bascom and Joel Fuller, both of whom saw limited playing time last year as freshmen, will also return this season.
New faces on the team include four freshman: Mark Anderson of Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Nick Ferrara of Scottsdale, Arizona; Brett Jones of Paducah, Kentucky; and Charlie Woo of Ontario, Canada.
The team finished sixth in a field of 14 last week at the Mid-Pines Intercollegiate tournament in Southern Pines, North Carolina. The two day event marked the beginning of the Fall season. Sturgeon was one of the main contributors as he tied his own school record set last October by shooting 210 over three rounds (six under par). Freshman Brett Jones, in his first collegiate tournament, finished at 213 (three under par). Fellow freshman Mark Anderson carded three consecutive rounds of even par to finish tied for 23rd place in his first college appearance.
The team’s overall score was 860 (four under par), which tied them for sixth place with Furman University and shattered the program’s old record for a 54-hole tournament. The tournament started on Monday, September 10th and wrapped up on Tuesday September 11th. Unfortunately, because of the tragic events that took place last week, the team was not available for interview at press time. Flights were cancelled and they were bussed home by university athletics officials. The next scheduled tournament is on Saturday, September 22nd in Yorktown, Indiana.
