Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Face Stiff Test at Bandon Dunes
10/22/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
October 22, 2004
Big Ten/Pac-10 Challenge Notes
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Coming off a victory at the Xavier Invitational, the Indiana University men's golf team heads to the Big Ten/Pac-10 Challenge, Monday-Tuesday, Oct. 25-26, in Bandon, Ore. Northwestern University and the University of Oregon will co-host the event at the Bandon Dunes Golf Resort. The course is setup as a par 72 with a yardage of 6,980.
At the Xavier Invitational, Jeff Overton fired an 11-under-par 61 in the final round, earning medalist honors, and leading the IU men's golf team to its first victory of the season.
Overton's round (11 birdies, one eagle) is the second-lowest round in NCAA history behind three golfers who have shot 60, including PGA Tour members Paul Casey and Bryce Molder and former Washington standout Brock Mackenzie.
The senior All-American candidate not only led the Hoosiers to their first title this season, but also their second consecutive championship at the Xavier Invitational. IU closed the event with a new school record of 30-under-par 834 (281-274-279), good for a 21-shot advantage over Saint Mary's (Calif.) and Wisconsin.
Indiana has recorded five team titles the last two seasons and won back-to-back tournaments at the same event for the first time since winning consecutive Big Ten Championships in 1974 and '75.
BIG TEN/PAC-10 CHALLENGE INFORMATION
The event consists of three rounds, 36 holes played on Monday and the final 18 holes taking place on Tuesday. Along with the Hoosiers, six other Big Ten teams will travel to Bandon in addition to seven Pac-10 squads. Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Northwestern, Penn State and Purdue round out the Big Ten contingent, while Arizona, Arizona State, California, Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington represent the Pac-10.
Five of the 14 teams are currently ranked among the top 25 in Golfweek's poll, including USC (10), Arizona State (17), UCLA (19), Minnesota (20) and Purdue (21). Indiana is ranked No. 27.
Tournament play opens Monday, with a shotgun first-round (18) start at 8 a.m. (PDT). The second round (18) begins with a shotgun start following the completion of round one. On Tuesday, the final round commences with shotgun tee times starting at 8 a.m.
CONFERENCE CHALLENGE
Each conference will count its lowest six team scores of each round. The conference with the lowest score will be determined the winner of the Big Ten/Pac-10 Challenge.
There will be a blind draw Sunday night to mix the teams and conferences. Teams will play in groups of three and the blind draw will determine pairings that will consist either of two Pac-10 teams and one Big Ten team or two Big Ten teams and one Pac-10 team.
PARTICIPATING HOOSIERS
The Hoosiers will send a team of five players, including seniors Jeff Overton and Heath Peters, juniors Brad Marek and Scott Seibert, and freshman Santiago Quirarte.
Overton, who is ranked fifth in the nation by Golfweek and seventh by Golfstat, Peters and Marek will make their fifth starts of the season, while Quirarte gets the nod in the starting rotation for the third straight week. Quirarte also played as an individual at the season-opening Radrick Farms Intercollegiate. Meanwhile, Seibert will appear in his third tournament this season.
Overton (1st), Peters (2nd), Quirarte (T-18th) and Seibert (T-18th) all recorded top 20 finishes at the team's last event (Xavier Invitational, Oct. 11-12). Marek finished tied for 53rd.
TOURNAMENT RESULTS
Complete tournament results will be made available on the web at IUHOOSIERS.com following the event. For more information, contact Jeff Keag at (812) 855-6209 or through e-mail at jkeag@indiana.edu.
