Minnesota’s men’s golf team will begin the season as the 15th-ranked team in the country according to Golfweek’s preseason poll that was released Sunday.

The Gophers finished tied for third at the 2005 NCAA Championships, five strokes behind national champion Oklahoma State.

Four starters from last year’s squad are back for the 2006 campaign, highlighted by 2006 Honorable Mention All-Americans Bronson La’Cassie and Niall Turner.

La’Cassie finished tied for sixth and Turner tied for 10th at last year’s NCAA Championships.

The top two finishers from a year ago, Oklahoma State and Georgia, are ranked first and second, respectively, in the poll.

Hall of Famer Berg dies
Patty Berg, one of the 13 founding members of the Ladies Professional Golf Association, and a graduate of the University of Minnesota died Saturday night at the age of 88.

Not only was Berg influential for women’s golf off the course, but on the course as well.

Berg won 60 titles, including a record 15 major titles in her professional career. She was a member of the LPGA Tour and World Golf Hall of Fames, along with the University’s Women’s Athletics Hall of Fame.