Men's golf set to open spring season in Mexico

The IU men's golf team will travel across international borders this weekend to Guadalajara, Mexico for its first match of 2007. The two-day Club de Golf Santa Anita Classic will begin at 8:15 a.m. on Sunday with 36 holes. Monday morning, golfers will tee off at 7:30 a.m. for 18 holes. \nOf the 10 teams participating, the Big Ten will be represented by the Hoosiers and the Iowa Hawkeyes. \nFinishing second last year, coach Mike Mayer believes this year the Hoosiers have a shot at first place, as long as they maintain their confidence level. \n"We want to go down and be mentally prepared and physically prepared," Mayer said. "If we do that, I think we can win this golf tournament."\nThe team's biggest competition, Mayer said, are the Houston Cougars, who won the tournament last year. He added that Iowa had a good fall season and will be another major competitor.\n"For the most part, in golf, all you have to do is take care of your own business," Mayer said. "You can't play defense against anybody and you really can't worry about anybody."\nTo prepare for a win, the team has been working on fundamentals such as tweaking swings and maintaining mental readiness. Individually, the five players who will be travelling have been working on confidence and preparing for the warmer weather. Practicing inside has been an obstacle, said sophomore Seth Brandon, but should not hinder the team's overall performance. \n"It's important for us to really go down there and get the spring started off well," Brandon said. \nBrandon said he and teammate Jorge Campillo have been working on fundamentals and basics in order to know what to focus on to win the upcoming tournament.\nCampillo, the No. 24 men's collegiate golfer in the nation, said he feels pressure to perform well, but is confident in his play. \n"I can handle it, I will just play like I know I can play and I will be fine. I can do it," Campillo said. \nThe team will be playing on a different course than last year, with the par set at 72.