"The greens will be pretty fast and firm," freshman Kevin Foley said. "The thick rough and the additional length that was added also will make it a tough place to play."
The Lions will also have to deal with 11 other teams in the field, which includes No. 79-ranked Eastern Kentucky. The Colonels have already captured five tournament titles this year. Junior Robert Rohanna believes that the home-field advantage could give the Lions the one-up on such stellar teams.
"We'll know the course better than anyone out there," Rohanna said.
"We won't need to figure out how it plays, so it should work out well for us."
The team could also get a much-appreciated spark on the two-day, 54-hole event from Rohanna and Foley. Earlier in the week, Rohanna was named to the All-Big Ten team, and Foley earned Big Ten Freshman Player of the Year honors.
Both players have been major contributors to the success of the team this spring. Rohanna, who was selected as the Big Ten Co-Golfer of the Week in April, has recorded seven top-10 finishes this year, two of which were wins.
Foley has been integral to the team as well, with five top-10 finishes, including a tie for second place in his first collegiate season.
Penn State head coach Greg Nye will depend on players like Rohanna and Foley for what Nye said will be the new challenge of playing at home. He argued that home-field advantage would not translate all that much to help the team.
"The Blue Course is pretty transparent," Nye said. "It won't be an advantage because it's not our normal routine of being on the road like we're used to. It's definitely something I will have to address the team about."
To finish off a season full of ups-and-downs, Nye is confident that his team will end the 2007 season on a positive note.
"We had a terrific spring and we achieved a lot," Nye said.
"I hope we can get our energy back for this tournament and be competitive. I'd like to put a good cap on our spring season."
