Golfers look to escape slump with Dr. Pepper

By ANTHONY MILLER
Collegian Staff Writer

After two disappointing tournament appearances this spring season, the Penn State men's golf team looks to bounce back this weekend at the Dr. Pepper Intercollegiate at Tanglewood Resort in Dallas.

The two-day, 54-hole event begins with 36 holes tomorrow and concludes with 18 more on Sunday.

The Nittany Lions will be sending Matt Abbott, Mike Saporito, Jeff Turton and Greg Marshalek to the tournament, in addition to Scott Phillis, who is making his first appearance of the spring.

Despite strong showings by Andy Latowski and Josh Dawes in the first two competitions, neither will represent Penn State in Dallas.

Abbott, who has played in both tournaments thus far, said the team needs a "kick in the butt," that a lineup change can sometimes provide.

The Lions began the season with an 18th-place finish in an extremely strong field that touted some of the best teams in the country at the Puerto Rico Classic in San Juan.

After spring break the team traveled to Ocala, Fla., to compete in the Golden Ocala Intercollegiate. With only the final round remaining and the Lions in a distant 15th place, rain halted the competition and left Penn State disappointed with its performance.

Abbott said the golfers did not put much pressure on themselves in the first tournament because of lack of outdoor practice, but they had much higher hopes for the Golden Ocala after spending spring break there practicing.

"Putting it mildly, (our start) has been slow," he said. "We had high expectations and didn't do well. No one is pleased."

The upcoming contest combines many strong Southern teams with eight Big Ten teams, including the defending tournament champion Golden Gophers of Minnesota and an always strong Northwestern lineup.

"We're not going to see some of these teams again until the Big Ten Championships," Saporito said. "Anytime you face any Big Ten schools, there's extra incentive to do well."

Despite having a sub-par beginning to the season, the team is optimistic that results are right around the corner.

"It's just a matter of time," Saporito said. "It's about having a game plan and sticking to it. Then, hopefully we'll put up good numbers."

The Lions hope this weekend will supply the opportunity to put up good numbers and show what they are truly made of.

"It's a really strong field, but I don't see any reason why we can't finish in the top third," Abbott said. "This would be a good time for us to show the Big Ten that we're for real."