Hoosiers place 6th in Gopher Invite

The Hoosiers hovered near the top of the leaderboard during the first two rounds of the Gopher Invitational in Wayzata, Minn., but a high score in Sunday's final round dropped them to a sixth-place finish.\nCoach Mike Mayer said his team was hampered by its slow start.\n"We made a couple big numbers early and maybe tried too hard to catch up quickly," he said.\nPoor playing conditions tested IU during the first 36 holes. The team battled, however, totaling 595 and a share of fourth place after the first day.\nEntering the final round, the Hoosiers found themselves trailing tournament host and conference rival Minnesota by five strokes for the lead. The Golden Gophers weren't able to keep up with the eventual tournament champion, Stanford University, as they slid to second and failed to win their second consecutive Gopher title. \nIU experienced a greater fall in the standings, finishing in sixth place and 19 strokes out of first. \nPlacing in the top five for the Hoosiers was sophomore Jorge Campillo. After finishing in a tie for third in IU's first event, Campillo held a share of fifth place after Sunday's 18 holes. \nJunior Santiago Quirarte was one of the lone bright spots for the Hoosiers Sunday. His third-round 75 moved him from being tied for 38th to a tie for 28th. Three sophomores -- Drew Allenspach, Seth Brandon and Brandon Pike -- rounded out the Hoosiers' lineup, placing in ties for 32nd, 43rd and 48th respectively.\nThough no one from IU was intently rooting for Minnesota, Mayer said after his team finished the third round and was out of contention, the Hoosiers were subconsciously pulling for their fellow Big Ten school to take home the title. With the Golden Gophers playing on a familiar golf course, Mayer said it's not surprising they were in contention.\n"Anytime you play on a home golf course, it's a big advantage," he said.\nKnowing such a difficult golf course could have benefited the Hoosiers, but they might still gain from the experience. Michigan State, Ohio State and defending Big Ten champion Northwestern also competed at the event. Aside from the boost in confidence from beating Northwestern, Pike said the team can benefit in seeing these Big Ten schools play.\n"That's who we're going to play next May," he said. "It's basically just like a tune-up for (the Big Ten Championship). It will always benefit us to see them at every tournament"