IU men’s golf coach Mike Mayer has praised sophomore Brock Ochsenreiter all season.
Time and time again, Mayer has pointed out the potential Ochsenreiter has to be a star golfer on the team, and in the past two tournaments, that has proven to be true.
After finishing in the top 20 just once this season, Ochsenreiter comes into the Boilermaker Intercollegiate this weekend with two consecutive top-20 finishes under his belt.
Ochsenreiter finished in a tie for 12th in the most recent tournament, the Irish Creek Intercollegiate, and had a tied second place finish at the Bighorn Invitational before that.
“It’s exciting to see him coming around,” Mayer said. “He’s got the talent. We know that, he knows that, and now he’s putting that talent to better use.”
The recent surge in the standings for Ochsenreiter stretch to abilities outside of pure talent.
“He’s really controlling himself and his golf ball,” Mayer said. “He’s managing himself as well as I’ve seen him manage himself. I think his management skills are vastly improving, and it’s a good time for that to happen.”
The Boilermaker Intercollegiate in West Lafayette will be the final tournament for the team before Big Ten Championships take place in two weeks.
IU will be going up against five other Big Ten teams in the 17-team field, but the Hoosiers are not worrying about their competition.
“We’re trying to control what we can control and do what we can do,” Mayer said. “We’re getting better every week. We keep showing glimpses of brilliance and we need to see a little bit more of that.”
Last season, IU finished eighth at this event and won the tournament in 2012.
Due to construction of the IU Golf Course, the Hoosiers have traveled out of state for all but one tournament. The Boilermaker Intercollegiate will feel like a home tournament for them.
“Travel and flying is sometimes overrated,” Mayer said. “It’s nice to be in our team van — it’s very comfortable. We’re just a couple hours down the road. We can be there, rest up and get ready to go.”
