Golfers look to recover at Central Regional

Sloppy play doomed the Hoosiers at last weekend's Michigan/Radrick Farms Invitational. After finishing ninth in a field of 14 at the season-opening tournament, the IU men's golf team will look to bounce back at the Central Regional Preview at Notre Dame starting today. The Hoosiers would like to make a strong showing, but they know the 15-team field will not make things easy for them.\n"It's going to be one of our better fields of the year," IU Coach Mike Mayer said. "It will give us a good picture of where we stand at this point in time. I just feel like we weren't very sharp at (the Michigan/Radrick Farms Invitational). We wasted a lot of strokes, and against the competition we're facing now, we can't afford to do that."\nThis weekend, the Hoosier lineup will consist of seniors Jeff Overton and Heath Peters, juniors Brad Marek and Scott Seibert and freshman Santiago Quirarte. Quirarte, who competed as an individual in his first college tournament last weekend, echoed Mayer's belief that the team could benefit from better focus.\n"At this level, everyone can hit the ball long and putt well and make good shots," Quirarte said. "The difference is the mental aspect, the spirit, the way they play, the way they think. The difference is the mental toughness, so I think that's the part we need to work and I need to work."\nEven though the field will be tough and the Hoosiers are coming off a disappointing finish, the team thinks this weekend could be beneficial. \n"Hopefully, what we'll get out of this event, obviously, is a better idea of where we stand in the regional picture," Mayer said. "But I'd also like to come out a lot sharper and a lot more focused, and if I get that kind of production out of the guys, I think we'll be very successful."\nOverton agrees that the Hoosiers are close to regaining their old form, as long as they master the mental part of the game.\n"It would be nice to get out there and see where we stand as of right now and how much better we need to get," Overton said. "Most importantly, I think we just need to go out and get some confidence playing as a team again."\nThe Central Regional Preview begins today with 18 holes at Lost Dunes Golf Course in Bridgman, Mich. Rounds two and three will be played Saturday and Sunday, respectively, at Notre Dame's Warren Golf Course.\n-- Contact staff writer Charlie Gillingham at cgilling@indiana.edu.