By Harrison Leone
Assistant Sports Editor
The mercurial Western New York spring weather is wreaking havoc on sports schedules and practice routines, and Bonaventure golf is not immune to the ill effects of such an unpredictable climate.
For the last several days, the men of the team have been forced indoors to continue their preparation for the La Salle Invitational this upcoming Sunday and Monday. Despite being shuttered inside and off the links, Coach John Powers said he’s staying positive about the effect on the team.
“Obviously, we’d like to be outside, practicing in the open,” Powers said. “We’ll see how the time inside has affected us, in terms of guys being able to keep their form and swing consistent. They should be all right.”
Powers said his team’s two trips to Florida earlier in the season have become even more valuable as the winter in Olean refuses to dissipate.
“All the time we got outside during our trips definitely helps make up lost time now,” Powers said. “Besides, we’re in much the same situation as a lot of other teams in the northeast, so we’re not at much of a disadvantage.”
The coming trip to La Salle marks the visit of the team to the Talamore Country Club in Ambler, Pa., where the meet is held. The A-10 is not well-represented at the invitational, as SBU and La Salle are the only two schools from the conference. The field, which will consist of 12 smaller northeastern programs, will include teams from universities such as Wagner, Rider and Monmouth.
Powers said he feels positive about St. Bonaventure’s prospects at the meet.
“I’m not sure of the exact numbers, but I know we have a very good record against teams in this year’s field,” Powers said.
The La Salle Invitational marks the first competition for SBU since the team traveled to Brevard Community College Feb. 28 to take on one of the nation’s top junior college programs. This match was for exhibition purposes and did not officially count towards SBU’s record or scoring. The last non-exhibition meet for the Bonnies came over a month ago, when St. Bonaventure participated in the Bethune-Cookman Invitational Feb. 17 and 18. The Bonnies tallied a ninth place finish out of a 12-team field.
The remainder of the team’s upcoming schedule will see St. Bonaventure navigate through two tournaments in as many weeks.
The first of which, the Towson Invitational, will be held March 31-April 2 in Grasonville, Md. Following Towson, the team will head to Virginia to compete in the Longwood Manor Intercollegiate Tournament, April 12-13. Concluding the season for St. Bonaventure is the A-10 Championships. This season, A-10s will be held in Coral Springs, Fla., meaning the team will have logged three visits to the Sunshine State this spring. The championships will be held April 26-28.
With all of these tournaments and competitions looming, Powers said his team is focused on the task at hand and performing well at La Salle, in addition to logging experience on a new course.
“We’ll take good notes and observations during the practice round, and we’ll be ready to compete when the tournament starts,” Powers said. “We have a chance to have a very strong showing and to do very well.”
