By Harrison Leone
Assistant Sports Editor
With only days left until the Atlantic 10 championships, the men’s golf team will face one final regular season test today and tomorrow at the Longwood Invitational in Farmville, Va.
Coach John Powers said he expects his team to be able to focus on the Longwood tournament and will not be distracted by the looming A-10 championships, which will take place April 26-28.
“Every tournament we play is an opportunity to prepare for the A-10 championship,” Powers said. “If we are focusing on the process like we talk about in practice, our mental state should be even greater for this tournament than in the previous ones.”
The trip to Farmville, which is nestled in the heart of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, will be the third time this spring the Bonnies have competed on a southern course. Powers said the experience on the southern courses will be beneficial for his team, as the A-10 championships will be held in Coral Springs, Fla.
“The grass (on southern courses) is much different in texture and you have to play different types of shots to be effective on it,” Powers said of the differences between northern and southern collegiate courses.
Even with spring in full swing, Powers added that he did not expect the heat and humidity of Dixie to have a noticeable impact on the team’s play.
“Those factors won’t really have an effect,” Powers said. “The biggest difference is the layout of the courses, as they are typically flatter, with more hazards and more exposure to windy conditions.”
This will be the second season in a row St. Bonaventure has competed in the Longwood Invite. Last year, the Bonnies finished in fifth place out of 10 schools falling one place behind fellow A-10 member George Washington who bested the Bonnies by 14 strokes.
Powers said he is not necessarily concerned with the past course performances.
“You can’t get caught up in trying to finish in a particular place, especially compared to past years,” Powers said. “Each year, the teams change and so does the size of the field. In golf, you have to go out and play against the course and you earn whatever place you end up finishing.”
In the 2012 edition of the Longwood Invitational, the Bonnies were led by then-senior Kevin Lewis and current senior Brian McKenna. Lewis and McKenna finished fifth and tied for 12th, respectively.
This year, McKenna will look to build off of his performance at last week’s Whiting-Turner Towson Invitational. McKenna shot a team leading 233-17 over par at the Towson Invitational. Junior Chris Mackey and freshman Josh Stauffer finished tied for second in the St. Bonaventure line-up, as both golfers shot 23 over par with scores of 239.
Powers said he thinks McKenna, Mackey and Stauffer will continue to perform well, in addition to the rest of the team seeing improvements in their scores.
“I expect everyone’s game to continue to improve,” Powers said. “Each guy has the ability to shoot great numbers. We have improved in our ball striking and are able to navigate around these courses a little better each week. It is now coming down to finding a way for each guy to save an extra shot or two per round.”
