IU cruises to 1st title of season at Purdue

Beginning a critical stretch of the season in a tournament loaded with potential Big Ten champions probably wasn't the most-likely place for the young IU golf team to record its first title, but that's exactly what happened.\nDespite a freshman class that at one point held Golfstat's top ranking, a two-time Big Ten Golfer of the Week winner in freshman Jorge Campillo and a handful of top-five finishes, IU had yet to take home top honors entering this past weekend's Boilermaker Invitational in West Lafayette. \nThat changed Saturday when the Hoosiers took a commanding lead with their score of 287 in the second round. Purdue, the tournament's host, tallied a 288 in that round, but the Boilermakers weren't able to rebound from their first-round score of 310 and finished second.\nCampillo finished first individually. His total of 212 was both the only score under par and eight strokes ahead of second place. Among those tied for second was freshman Drew Allenspach. Also taking part in IU's balanced attack were freshman Seth Brandon, who finished tied for 14th, sophomore Santiago Quirarte, who tied for 30th, and senior Scott Seibert, who finished in a tie for 43rd.\n"Overall, it was a complete team effort," said coach Mike Mayer.\nIU overpowered a host of talented teams, including a Northwestern team that ranked 25th in the latest Golf Coaches Association of America poll and a Purdue squad that had the benefit of the home course. For Seibert, leaving such a competitive field victorious was of great significance.\n"I'd say the best part is how we won the tournament," he said. "We beat a lot of good teams by a lot of shots."\nThe Hoosiers may have benefited from IU alumnus and PGA golfer Jeff Overton's visit days before the tournament. Overton advised the team on how to play the difficult Kampen Course.\n"When we had Jeff there, we took advantage of it," said Mayer. "He gave us some good hints." \nOverton's pointers may have provided even more momentum to a team that had finished third in its last outing. \n"In this game, confidence is a big deal," said Mayer. "I think that was the difference."\nThe team's win was the long-awaited result of balanced play combined with dominant individual performances. In the spring's previous tournaments, IU had not been able to unite the two. \n"It was just a matter of time," Quirarte said. "This time, everything got together."\nIU will be back in action this weekend in Dublin, Ohio. Because the team will face more conference rivals when nearing the Big Ten Championship later this month, Mayer says this win will be something the team will gain confidence from.\n"There's nothing better than winning championship trophies at Purdue," he said. \nThe best moment came as the Purdue coach was forced to award the trophy to its in-state rival, Mayer said.\n"I don't think he was very happy about that," he said.