Golfers may do badly, hope for good

The men's golf team proved it could shoot both low and high scores in its first two spring tournaments.\nSaturday and Sunday when the team competes in the 54-hole Dr. Pepper Intercollegiate in Tanglewood, Texas, the Hoosiers are hoping the low scores will outnumber the high ones. \n"We showed we are capable of shooting some low numbers, but we need to do it more frequently," coach Mike Mayer said.\nIn the Big Red Classic March 10-11, IU shot a 4-under 284 in its second round. But the low score was between an opening round score of 21-over and closed the event with a 16-over. IU finished the 17-team tournament in eighth place, 33 shots over par. \nIU also struggled by shooting a high opening-round in last weekend's El Diablo Intercollegiate. The Hoosiers opened the tournament 16-over before shooting 7-over in the second and final round. IU finished 12th in the 24-team event, which was shortened to 36-holes after heavy rain forced the cancellation of the final round. \n"We didn't play as well as we would've liked," junior Rich Thomas said about the team's play to begin the season. "We showed some potential in the second round of the first tournament."\nSenior Steve Wheatcroft said the team's confidence isn't low, but it isn't high after the team's slow start. IU appeared confident after winning its last fall tournament, the Legends Intercollegiate in October, but the winter layoff has slowed the team.\n"We got to get back in tournament setting and the pressure of trying to win again," Wheatcroft said. \nIf IU has three solid rounds this weekend, it has a chance to improve its No. 13 ranking in District 4. Most of the 18 teams competing in the Dr. Pepper are in the Hoosiers' district, including nine Big Ten squads. Eight of the 12 teams ranked ahead of the Hoosiers are in the tournament.\n"If we can go down there and beat the teams that we need to beat, we will jump right back in the picture," Mayer said.\nThe event will be played on the Tanglewood Resort championship course, which is a par 72, 7,000-*yard layout designed by Arnold Palmer in 1973. The grass in Texas is still dormant, meaning the course's fairways should be brown.\nThis is the fifth consecutive year IU has competed in the Dr. Pepper. IU's top two players, Wheatcroft and sophomore Aldo Jordan, are the only two Hoosiers who have played in the event. The team left for Texas Thursday, and is playing a practice round on the tournament's course today.\n"The course is great and they treat us real well there," said Wheatcroft, who is competing in his fourth Dr. Pepper. "We have a lot fun playing in this tournament."\nTraveling to Texas with Wheatcroft and Jordan is the same lineup that competed in the El Diablo, which includes freshman Mike Castleforte, sophomore Mike Miller and Thomas. Wheatcroft, Castleforte and Jordan have competed in all seven of IU's tournaments this season. Wheatcroft and Jordan lead the team in scoring with averages of 72.4 and 74.1, respectively.\n"Steve Wheatcroft and Aldo Jordan have come forward for us, but we need some support," Mayer said. "We have a lot of depth, but we haven't determined our third, fourth and fifth spots yet"