IU men’s golf will compete from Sunday-Tuesday at the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate tournament at the Crossings Course of RTJ Magnolia Grove in Mobile, Alabama.
The Crossing Course was designed by golf course architect Robert Trent Jones, and is a part of Alabama’s Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail.
This is the Hoosiers’ first appearance at the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate, which head coach Mike Mayer says was scheduled less than a month ago due to scheduling adjustments made due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Coming off of its first Big Ten Match Play Championship since 2009, the team won’t be playing in match play format again unless they qualify for NCAA Finals.
Mayer said that the team played as well as he’s had a team play in a number of years on the first day in particular.
The Hoosiers received 12 votes in the latest Bushnell Golfweek Coaches Poll released Friday. The early success for the team is a big motivator, Mayer said.
“It’s all about developing,” Mayer said Wednesday. “I think that really gives us a shot of confidence.”
The team returned from Palm Coast, Florida, this past Sunday after remaining to practice for an extra day after Big Ten Match Play.
IU prepared this week as they would for any other competition, such as working in their hitting bay along with developing a game plan based on the course, Mayer said. They’ll have more time to do so during the practice round on Saturday.
With the event being 18 holes per day, Mayer said he believes that less stress will be placed on the team.
After the first round on Sunday the team will have time to make any necessary changes for the next two rounds on Monday and Tuesday.
Teams such as No. 23 University of Alabama at Birmingham, Kent State University and fellow Big Ten schools Illinois and Michigan will be competing at the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate.
Neither Illinois nor Michigan competed during Big Ten Match Play, with Illinois competing at the Tinervin Cup in Placida, Florida and the Michigan athletic department being under a department-wide activity pause due to a COVID-19 outbreak.
Mayer said that golfers will see solid competition at the event while believing there are talented golfers and teams at any given Division I golf tournament.
“As I always like to say, anybody can play in this league,” Mayer said.
