Team starts season in Florida

Freshman golfer Mike Castleforte wore a stocking cap and a turtleneck while practicing by himself Wednesday afternoon at the IU Golf Course.\nWhen Castleforte and his teammates compete in the Big Red Classic Saturday in Ocala, Fla., the cold-weather gear won't make it to the course.\n"It will be great to be in short sleeves and shorts again," Castleforte said.\nAfter practicing in 30-degree weather the past two months, the Hoosiers will spend spring break in Florida. IU, along with Ball State, is co-host to the two-day Big Red Classic Saturday and Sunday. Next weekend, the Hoosier play in the El Diablo Intercollegiate in Citrus Spring, Fla. Between tournaments, team members said they will take advantage of the warm weather by playing 36 holes per day and practicing in temperatures approaching 80 degrees.\n"The trip is ideal because it will be warm enough to get a lot of practice in and not freeze," freshman Ryan Cassidy said. \nDespite conditions that aren't ideal for golf, the Hoosiers have practiced outside this month. When it has been too cold to practice outdoors, the Hoosiers hit balls into a net in the Harry Gladstein Fieldhouse. Other preparations for the spring season included early morning running and weightlifting. \n"If you're not working out or hitting balls in the off-season, then you're falling behind," Castleforte said. "You used to get ahead by working out in the winter, but now it's just keeping up."\nThe Big Red Classic marks the start of the spring season for the Hoosiers. IU hasn't competed since winning the Legends Intercollegiate in October. The Hoosiers shot a tournament record 24-under-par in their last outing.\n"It has been a long layoff," coach Mike Mayer said. "Winning The Legends made the layoff easier in a way, but the anticipation has been hard to handle. We feel good. We feel confident, but the fact is we haven't competed for four months."\nIU will compete against 16 teams, including conference rivals Michigan State and Penn State, at the Big Red Classic. The tournament will be contested on the 6,478-yard Lake Diamond Golf and Country Club course. \n"Lake Diamond will be a course where players will be capable of shooting some very, very low numbers," Mayer said. "If the weather is conducive these kids are going to shoot lights out."\nThe Big Red Classic is different from most tournaments because teams are allowed to use six players rather than the usual five. Senior Steve Wheatcroft, sophomore Aldo Jordan, junior Rich Thomas, junior John Oliver, Castleforte and Cassidy will make up IU's lineup this weekend.\nJordan is coming off a first-place finish at The Legends, shooting a tournament record 12-under-par in the 54-hole event. Wheatcroft, the Hoosiers No. 1 player, has a 71.9 scoring average in 15 rounds.