According to the calendar, last Wednesday was officially the beginning of spring. For the men's golf team, however, the weather for last weekend's match with Rutgers was far from symbolic of the season's arrival.

Despite Mother Nature's cold shoulder, the Lions trounced Rutgers for the second time this season, scoring 381, 30 strokes ahead of the Scarlet Knights.

The teams had intended to play two rounds Saturday and Sunday at the Marriot-Seaview golf course in Absecon, N.J. However, almost three inches of snow blanketed the region Friday.

The wintry coating remained through Saturday and Coach Mary Kennedy told the players at 2:30 that afternoon that they were heading back to State College. Shortly afterwards they cancelled their travel plans and decided to see if the conditions would improve for Sunday.

The golfers spent much of their Saturday watching NCAA basketball on television and hoping the weather would break for a round of golf.

Sunday morning offered little hope. The conditions were still less than satisfactory. At 9:30 Kennedy and the players loaded the bus again. This time, their destination was two hours west to Princeton to face Rutgers at the Springdale Country Club.

Once on the greens, Penn State took command and quickly distanced itself from its district opponent. Despite their schedule-shuffling and last-second venue change, the Lions composed themselves and shot well on the par-71 course.

"It was really no contest, but the guys got a chance to play a good golf course and played quite well considering the 32 degree temperature," Kennedy said.

Senior Kyle Ross paced the Lions with a two-over-par 73, the match's low score. The Oakhurst, N.J., native had considerable experience on the Princeton course which helped him handle the conditions and offset the team's lack of practice time.

"It was definitely interesting since we didn't play the course we wanted to play," Ross said. "I knew the course pretty well. If you miss the green, you have to miss in the proper places."

Dan Vona continued his consistent play and sophomore William Smith returned to the greens after missing the last tournament. Each shot 75.

"Basically, it takes a good mental frame," Vona said. "We didn't have time to warm up. We packed up and hit the tee."

"We bounced from one course to the next. We didn't even know where we'd play. We jumped off the bus and teed it up," Ross said.

Freshman Jason Tyska, one of a trio of golfers trying to secure the fifth spot on the team, shot 78. Steve McEntee and Joe Freed, also vying for the final position, hit 82 and 86, respectively.

"Once you have the fifth guy, you're solid. It's important to have someone consistent to shoot some good scores. That's what we need," Vona said.

Kennedy has said that she will not select the fifth starter until after next weekend's match with Georgetown and Delaware.

With the weekend's hectic schedule and the its uncertain fate, the golfers at first wanted to simply go home. Once on the greens, they were glad to get in the round of golf.

"At first we wanted to pack it in and get going. Once we were on the course we wanted to stay," Vona said. "It's tough to go two days and not play. We need to play and keep in groove for the upcoming tournaments."

The Lions next tournament stop is in Pensacola, Fla., for the prestigious Jerry Pate Intercollegiate Tournament April 6-8.