It was far from a perfect weekend for the IU men’s golf team, but someone always seemed ready to step up when big moments came.
It was freshman Drew Giacchetto, playing with IU for the first time, elevated his play against Penn State. Giacchetto and graduate student Jack Sparrow found success against Michigan on Friday. After sophomore Mitch Davis beat one of the best players in the Big Ten on Saturday, Sparrow secured a victory over Rutgers for a strong finish to his match.
Giacchetto hadn’t played his way into the lineup for IU before the Big Ten Match Play in Palm Beach, Florida, but led the Hoosiers in their first two matchups.
“He’s got some skills — perhaps even more skills than we thought he had,” IU head coach Mike Mayer said of Giacchetto. “If he keeps up with this pace, he’s gonna be hard to get out of the lineup.”
Giacchetto was glad to see some of his work start to pay off.
“I definitely felt some pressure,” Giacchetto said. “I was excited to compete in the lineup for the first time, and it was nice being with all my teammates.”
Giacchetto was the only Hoosier to win against the Nittany Lions, defeating junior James McHugh by three holes. Senior Brock Ochsenreiter tied his match. IU lost 4-1-1.
Against Michigan, Giacchetto won again, this time by four holes. But he had more help. IU won three matches and lost three against Michigan. Sparrow’s four-hole victory and junior Ethan Shepard’s three-hole victory provided enough cushion for the Hoosiers to win.
IU came into the weekend as the No. 10 team in the Big Ten, but Mayer said the conference might be as open as he has seen in his 31 years coaching. IU is only ranked 13 spots lower than No. 6 Rutgers.
“I just think every team has a chance to win the Big Ten Championship in May,” Mayer said. “It’s that even.”
Some of that parity showed as IU took down Rutgers in their final match Saturday. Davis faced junior Christopher Gotterup, who Golfstat ranked as the 28th best player in the country. Davis had his best performance of the weekend, beating Gotterup by five holes.
The Hoosiers played their best round against the Scarlet Knights. Shepard and senior Evan Gaesser won by one hole and four holes respectively, and Ochsenreiter tied his, helping the Hoosiers win 3.5-2.5.
The Big Ten might be open, but Giacchetto said he wants to take it one day at a time.
“Golf is different than basketball,” Giacchetto said. “You really don't match up with size and all that. You play 18 holes, and whoever plays better that particular day is going to win.”
