The Gophers menâÄôs golf team finished their fall season on a low note, ending in a tie for 13th out of 15 teams at the UNCG Bridgestone Golf Collegiate at the Forest Oaks Country Club in Greensboro, N.C., on Sunday. Minnesota tied Virginia Commonwealth at 19-over-par. This weekendâÄôs finish was the worst of the GophersâÄô season so far. Georgia Tech won the event, finishing at 21-under. The Yellow Jackets had four players in the top 15. Virginia junior Amory Davis took home medalist honors, shooting an 11-under par 205 . Senior Ben Pisani led the Gophers for the fifth-straight tournament, shooting 7-under, which was good enough to finish in a tie for fifth . Pisani has finished in the top 10 in every event this year. Sophomore Derek Chang was even through the first two rounds but struggled Sunday to finish at 6-over, which put him at a tie for 40th. Senior Thomas Campbell played consistently to earn a tie for 45th by shooting 7-over for the weekend. Freshmen Shang Zhi and David Haley rounded out the GopherâÄôs lineup at 15 and 17-over respectively, finishing at 76th and 81st. Associate head coach Andrew Tank said he was disappointed with the performance of his team over the weekend despite the slightly higher talent level in the field over the weekend. This weekendâÄôs tournament displayed one common theme that prevailed over the fall season: Pisani is playing well, and nobody else has stepped up. âÄúEveryone else is sort of struggling,âÄù Tank said. âÄúWe need to sit down now and evaluate what things weâÄôre doing that are working and what things we need to improve and change.âÄù Both Tank and Director of Golf Brad James will have their hands full coming up with a lineup for the spring but are hopeful that players will begin to play to their potential. âÄúThe good news is weâÄôre under-performing,âÄù Tank said. âÄúI think thereâÄôs a lot of talent on this team, but for whatever reason right now theyâÄôre not reaching it.âÄù The Gophers will now look forward to their spring season while focusing on physical conditioning during the off-season. This time away from traveling and practicing is something that Tank said will be beneficial to the team. âÄúI think this is a good time of year to step away a little bit âĦ and gain some better perspective of whatâÄôs going on.âÄù The Gophers will be back in action in February for Big Ten match play in Miami.
Gophers end fall season
Minnesota finished in a tie for 13th at the UNCG Bridgestone Golf Collegiate
by John Hageman
Published October 25, 2009
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