The Guilfordian

Issue date: 4/15/05 Section: Sports

Media Credit: www.guilford.edu Brent Stoval

Media Credit: www.guilford.edu Sophomore Joseph Poplin, winner of the ODAC golf player of the week for April 4

Golf team captain Patterson

Currently ranked second in Division III standings by the Golf Coaches Association of America, Guilford's golf team is keeping up its legacy of national recognition.

After a loss by one stroke at last year's national championships in California, the Quakers hope that season's squad will catapult them into the number one spot.

"We've beaten anyone who's any good [in Division III] including Methodist who is ranked number one," says coach, Jack Jensen.

Jensen has been coaching golf at Guilford for 29 years and has only good things to say about each season's players. This year, he says, there's not much difference between the number one player and the number five player. "We have more depth than ever," he says. "They are all experienced players."

Guilford's last national championship win was in 2002, but Jensen is optimistic about this year's tournament. "We've done well enough so far that we should have a lock at [this year's national championships]," which will take place May 9-12 at Mission Inn Resort in Florida.

"We are preparing and hoping to peak at the National Championship in May," said junior team member Jeff Osberg, "we prepare the whole season to hopefully win that one tournament,"

After a win at the 12-team Gordin Collegiate Classic on October 11, the Quakers went on to beat Methodist and win the 22-team Pfeiffer/Pine Needles Invitational on March first.

This weekend Guilford took fourth place out of thirty one, at the Annual Marine Federal Credit Union Tournament in Camp Lejune. Their two-day average was 577. Methodist came in third place and the winner was Johnson & Wales of Florida. Guilford's Joseph Poplin had the lowest average shot for the team, scoring 70-72-142.

Sophomore Colin Clark is currently the holder of the team's lowest stroke average overall, at 75.38, but Jensen says that all of his players are capable of winning a tournament every week they play. Many of the players on the team have won honors in past seasons. In 2003, juniors Daniel Day, Brant Stovall, and Chris Lowman, senior Dave Patterson, and Clark all received All-Conference recognition.

With most of the top five players having participated in championship tournaments before, the team has a lot of experience as they head toward this year's tournament.

"If you're asking me," says Jensen, "we have a good chance to win the national championship. Last year we just didn't play well in California."

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