By Pat Tintle
Staff Writer
The Bonnies continued their spring season last weekend as they traveled to Maryland for the Towson Invitational. Despite finishing in a tie for 19th place with Siena, Head Coach John Powers saw some encouraging aspects come out of his team.
“For the spring season, you’re not really focused on results so much as you are on seeing progress,” Powers said. “Since we don’t get to practice outside everyday, we’re just trying to get as much useful time on the golf course as we can.”
The Bonnies saw their practice round and the first round of the tournament delayed due to rain.
“That was unfortunate,” Powers said. “But we have to be process-oriented rather than result-oriented.”
Sophomore Josh Stauffer saw his score drop from 83 in the delayed first round, to 71 in the second.
“Definitely the second day I was happy with,” Stauffer said. “The first day, I didn’t really know what to expect after not having any time on the course. The course was playing pretty tough when we got out there. The wind was howling, and the course wasn’t really in scoring shape.”
The weather certainly played a role in the Bonnies performance, according to Powers. But he credits his team’s ability to grind through a series of holes as one of their strengths, which was evident in the second round.
“That’s the kind of stuff that you like to see,” Powers said. “That’s going to help down the road. You’re not always going to have you’re A-game in the spring, so you’ve got to figure out how much you have to offer when it’s your B-day or your C-day.”
Rounding out the rest of the team, freshman Trent McPherson scored a combined 161 between the two rounds, while sophomore Patrick Milkovich scored 162, redshirt sophomore Darren Simmons scored 170 and senior Chris Mackey scored 175. Although the team’s performance in the first round was disappointing, Powers was impressed with his revitalized team in the second round, especially McPherson.
“I’m really happy with how Trent has grinded this spring,” Powers said. “Being a freshman, he was one of those guys who had some good rounds in the fall but also had times where he was struggling. Nobody’s real confident with their golf swing in the spring season, and he’s been a guy who’s just really been able to get it in play.”
Powers said he likes the devotion on his team, but he also recognizes that their short game needs a tune-up.
“That’s where we could see the most improvement,” Powers said. “You can always make up for your deficiencies in other areas by having a really solid short game. You can also totally ruin all the good things you did by not doing well with the short game. It’s really one of those things that can really make or break your rounds.”
The Bonnies will now focus their attention on the Greenbrier Invitational in West Virginia on April 14 and 15. They will have a practice round on that Sunday, while the tournament will be on Monday and Tuesday of that week.
“There’s some strong teams there,” Powers said. “Old Dominion, William and Mary, Marshall, Bowling Green; those are all schools that are ranked pretty well. And it’s a tough golf course, so it will be a good test.”
Tough competition awaits, but Stauffe said her believes that the team’s good chemistry will pull the Bonnies through to a higher finish.
“We like each other, everyone on the team is really good friends,” Stauffer said. “We get on one another and don’t get offended. That’s really nice.”
