Solid play in Florida follows slow start

Spring break began in nightmarish fashion for the men's golf team, and its problems had nothing to do with sketchy travel agents or missed flights. The team had one of its poorest showings of the year, limping to a 14th place finish in the 16-team Big Red Classic, an event of which the Hoosiers were co-host. \n"We lost our patience and never were able to regroup," Coach Mike Mayer said.\nBut less than a week later, the Hoosiers bounced back at the El Diablo Intercollegiate in Citrus Springs, Fla., finishing the tournament tied for seventh place.\n"We almost got back to what we are capable of (at El Diablo)," freshman Jeff Overton said.\nThe Hoosiers got to that level by spending the four days in between the tournaments with intensive practices -- working on their short games and getting themselves accustomed to Bermuda grass greens and other nuances of golf courses in Florida.\n"We grew up a lot," Mayer said. "We learned to bond as a team."\nIU's three-round total of 891 (292-296-303) placed the team in a seventh-place tie with Xavier. IU entered the final round in fifth place, just one shot behind William & Mary, which won the tournament with an 883 that edged West Florida and Louisville by one stroke.\n"We started the (third) round in contention to win the tournament or place very high. The last couple holes were played pretty poorly on our part, and that is where it cost us," Mayer said.\nThough the team improved vastly from its performance at the Big Red Invitational, the biggest story of the tournament for IU was the play of freshman Heath Peters. Peters placed in the top 10 for the second time in three tournaments with a three-round total of 220 (73-73-74), a career best.\n"We feel he's come a long, long way," Mayer said. "We didn't know he would mature quickly enough to do this."\nThough he is only a freshman, the native of Garrett, Ind., has quickly developed into a viable contender for the Hoosiers.\n"I was feeling real good about my golf game coming into this season," Peters said. "The coaches have worked with me; they have my swing down real good."\nPeters was named the Indiana Golf Association Junior Masters Player of the Year in 2000 and finished fifth in the state finals his senior year of high school.\nPeters, who tied for 10th place at El Diablo, said he will need to make a few changes if he wants to win a tournament.\n"I need to have better course management and shot selection," Peters said. "The people that beat me just had better shot selection."\nIn addition to Peters, two other Hoosiers placed in the Top 40 at El Diablo. Overton tied for 16th with a score of 222 (74-72-76). Junior Ben Davidson shot a 225 (72-77-76) to finish tied for 39th.\nNo Hoosiers placed in the Top 40 at the Big Red Invitational.\nThe Hoosiers will have two weeks of practice before heading to West Virginia for the Marshall Invitational April 5-6.\nMayer said he hopes the Hoosiers will be able to learn how to play better as a team over the course of those practices. He said IU's lack of team awareness was what cost the team down the stretch at El Diablo.\n"In golf, you don't always know what your teammates are doing," Mayer said. "Hopefully, we can realize that it is very much a team situation"