Gardner-Webb Prepares For Season-Opening Tournament
September 17, 2008 | Men's Golf
With arguably the most loaded team that head coach Tee Burton has put together since his arrival at Gardner-Webb, the Bulldogs are eager to leave their mark on the Big South Conference during their first year of competition in the league. Five upperclassmen, including three seniors, lead the way for the very talented GWU squad.
The Bulldogs were competitive during their final season of Atlantic Sun Conference play and have only improved since then, which bodes well for the team.
"The team has talent and experience," Burton said. "We have the potential to have a very good year. The departure of Geordie Hagerman and Joshua Philbeck may hurt us early, but I think the freshman have talent and will make an impact this year. Our seniors will play a big part in any success we have this season both with their play and leadership."
The senior trio of Ryan Bell, Blake Palmer and Marco Mathe could play a big part in the Bulldogs' success in the fall as the newcomers get acclimated to the collegiate game.
"Ryan has good fundamentals and a good short game," Burton said. "He has shown great flashes throughout his career and he is working on becoming more consistent.
"Blake has been our best player since he arrived in Boiling Springs," Burton said. "He is a great ball striker and has a chance to be one of the best players in the Big South Conference.
"Marco has a nice golf swing, but has struggled with his short game," Burton said. "If he continues to work hard at it, he could contend for a spot in the line-up his senior season."
Juniors Immu Korvenmaa and Andrew Rickard each bring a quality game to the table. They each add great depth to the squad.
"Immu has great potential," Burton said. "He is very long off the tea and has a solid short game. He is a great ball striker with a wealth of golf experience. Immu also works extremely hard.
"Andrew has improved greatly since his freshman season," Burton
said. "He has good fundamentals and should compete for
all-conference honors."
GWU has two sophomores on the squad that could all compete for a
spot in the line-up. JJ Regan and Scott Wheeler have the potential
to make an impact with the team.
"JJ has a nice golf swing," Burton said. "Last year he worked on
his all-around game. He is a very improved player.
"Scott is a great teammate," Burton said. "He is a streaky putter
who can shoot very low scores. If he becomes more consistent, he
could become a solid player."
Four freshmen will also look to make an impact on the team this year. Redshirt-freshman Alex Finke along with Kristopher Gray, Brian Horton and Charles Smith could see some time on the links.
"Alex is a talented ball striker," Burton said. "He has improved confidence and his comfort level. Kristopher has a great short game and international experience. He has a chance to make an immediate impact. Brian was a good junior player who has the ability to shoot low scores. Charles is very long off the tee. He also had a lot of great scores and tournaments in junior golf.
The Bulldogs have a total of 10 tournaments this year, five in the spring and five in the fall. To ready itself for the Big South Championship, the schedule is a little tougher than in years past. In the fall, one of the major highlights is the Wolverine Invitational Sept. 20-21, which kicks off the season. GWU will also make two trips to Charleston, S.C., where it will compete in the Cuthbert Cup and the CSU Fall Intercollegiate. From Nov. 3-4, the Bulldogs take part in the Hummingbird Intercollegiate, which is hosted by Western Carolina.
In the spring, the Bulldogs open the season at the Lonnie D. Small Collegiate March 2-3. From there, they will head to the First Market Bank Intercollegiate and the Larry Nelson Intercollegiate.
"The schedule is much different than in past years and will hopefully help the team stay focused on improvement," Burton said. "We will see plenty of good teams at the Wolverine Invitational and the Hummingbird Intercollegiate in the fall, which should give us a good indication of where we need to improve for the spring and the Big South Conference."
If the Bulldogs continue to improve throughout the season,
Palmer could not only have a chance to be one of the best players
in the Big South, but the Bulldogs as a team could have a chance to
be one of the best teams in the league.
