Indiana University Athletics
Coach's Corner With Mike Mayer
9/7/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Sept. 7, 2006
Getting ready for his team's season-opening tournament, Indiana men's golf head coach Mike Mayer took time to speak with IUHOOSIERS.com about the NCAA Central Regional Preview. Northern Illinois will host the tournament at Rich Harvest Farms Golf Club from Sept. 9-10, 2006.
On the field at the NCAA Central Regional Preview:
"This is a strong field to start the fall. It will give us a good indication of where we are at and where we need to get to."
On sophomore Jorge Campillo:
"Jorge returns as our top player and our expectations for him are very high. He played very well in our qualifier and brings back a little more maturity and a better sense of course management. We need to continue to work with Jorge and help him understand his capabilities and limitations on the golf course."
On junior Santiago Quirarte:
"Santiago continues to improve and is playing very well. He is our most mature, most determined player and that shows in his play. He obviously has the most collegiate experience on the team and does a great job of with his teammates, especially with their confidence."
On sophomore Drew Allenspach:
"Drew probably played better than we thought he would in the qualifier. He fired three straight one-under par rounds of 70 and was really solid throughout each round. His confidence is back where it belongs and if we can get him putting the ball a little better he could win this tournament."
On sophomore Seth Brandon:
"Seth has all the confidence in the world after his outstanding summer of golf. He didn't play as well as we would have liked during the qualifier, but we fully expect him to compete for the individual title at the preview. Seth also helps this team from a confidence standpoint and he thinks this team can be competitive in any field."
On sophomore Brandon Pike:
"Brandon Pike was outstanding and surprised a lot of his teammates by winning the 54-hole qualifying event. It was a huge statement for Brandon to make and I think his play will carry over to this weekend. If Brandon gives us a performance this weekend similar to what we saw last weekend from him, this team will be hard to beat."
On senior Aaron Harrell qualifying for the tournament as an individual:
"Aaron continues to surprise us and earned the individual spot for this tournament. As a senior on a very talented young team, it would be easy for Aaron to sit back and let the youngsters take over, but he refuses to give up."
On the lineup as a whole:
"Overall this lineup, I think, is our best at this snapshot in time. There is no question that our top five players are playing better than anyone else on our team and there is an indication that the top five are going to make it difficult to get them out of the lineup. I think this is the most talented team I've ever coached and if we play to our potential we will be extremely competitive."
On his expectations for the team at the NCAA Central Regional Preview:
"Golf is a difficult sport to predict what might happen. We can't do anything or control anything about any other team - all we can do is compete to the best of our ability and control what we can control -- our emotions, our management and our decision making. But if we play to our abilities, make sound decisions on the golf course, and control our emotions other teams are going to have to play very, very well to defeat us."
