The men’s golf team placed 10th of 15 teams at the Earl Yestingsmeier Invitational Sunday. The event was hosted by Ball State.

The Bulldogs finished with a three-round total of 1144 in the two-day tournament and were led by junior Andrew Wegeng, who shot a 5-over-par total of 215, good enough for sixth place individually.

“We did not play up to our potential at Ball State,” freshman Andrew Eiler said. “We obviously aren’t happy where we finished, but we know what we need to focus on and what we need to do to succeed in conference this week.”

Senior Alex Walker finished tied for 11^th place, thanks in large part to a 4-under-par 66 in the second round.

“Alex has been a very reliable scorer this season and a key part to our success,” Eiler said. “No matter how Alex is playing, you know he is going to make a couple of birdies on the back stretch to finish out.”

Butler finished 54 strokes behind tournament champion Louisville. The Bulldogs were able to top conference opponent Valparaiso, which finished in 13^th place.

Despite the team’s recent struggles, Eiler said he is confident the team has a good chance at placing well in the upcoming Horizon League Championship tournament.

“Our conference is very balanced,” Eiler said. “Anyone can win it, but I feel we have a very good shot at winning. We have the potential to post three very good team scores.”

Butler’s next tournament will be the conference championship event in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla. The three-day tournament will start Friday.

The men’s golf team placed 10th of 16 teams at the two-day Indiana Invitational, which concluded Sunday.

Junior Andrew Wegeng led the team, shooting a 2-over-par 215 to finish tied for 12^th place.

“I think we were too inconsistent,” Wegeng said. “We had some good scores, but we were not able to put three or four good scores together in any of the rounds.”

Wegeng had the lowest score for the Bulldogs on both days of play, ending the first day with a 2-under-par 69.

Wegeng’s performance was not enough to move Butler up the standings, however, as the team ended the first day being in 11^th place.

“It is tough to say exactly where we needed improvement, but overall I think we struggled mainly on the greens,” Wegeng said. “We did not putt nearly well enough to contend.”

The team’s showing at Indiana was a stark contrast to its first place finish in the Big Four tournament at Crooked Stick April 5.

In that event, the Bulldogs swept the top three individual positions, with Wegeng and senior Alex Walker tying for first place overall with a 3-over-par 75. Freshman Andrew Eiler captured third place with a 7-over-par 79.

“I was proud of how I hung in there and shot 75 on a day where I was not hitting it very well,” Wegeng said. “Hitting only two fairways and seven greens in regulation at a difficult course like Crooked Stick usually results in a bad score, but I was able to turn it into a respectable score.”

The Butler women’s golf team also won at Crooked Stick.

Senior Michele Nash finished the tournament in first place, shooting a 1-under-par 71.

“It was nice to shoot under par,” Nash said. “I worked a lot on my putting during the week leading up to the tournament, and it definitely paid off.”

Senior Clare Cornelius, who finished tied for seventh place, said she was pleased with the team’s performance and is looking forward to its next tournament.

“I think we are definitely playing on a level to be successful,” Cornelius said. “We are all competitive players and have a lot of talent on this team. I am very excited and proud of this team for what we have accomplished thus far, and I believe we can continue that success for the rest of the season.”

The men’s team will compete next in the Earl Yestingsmeier Invitational on April 21 in Muncie.

The women will head to Indiana Saturday for the Indiana Invitational.

The Butler men’s golf team was victorious in the Bulldog Florida Invitational, which was held on March 14 and 15 in Jacksonville.

Junior Andrew Wegeng led the Bulldogs by capturing medalist honors, recording a two-day score of 139. Wegeng finished five strokes ahead of Eastern Illinois senior Gino Parrodi.

Butler also received strong play from freshman Andrew Eiler, whose score of 147 gave him a share of third place, and senior Alex Walker, who tallied a score of 148 and finished tied for fifth place.

The Bulldogs finished with a team score of 587, which was two strokes ahead of second-place Eastern Illinois.

On March 12 and 13, Butler participated in the Benbow Invitational, which was also held in Jacksonville.

The Bulldogs took fifth place in the 13-team tournament, finishing 21 strokes behind champion Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.

Wegeng, Eiler and Walker were Butler’s top three scorers in this tournament as well. Wegeng’s score of 144 in the two-day event included a three-below par score of 68 in the second round and gave him a sixth-place showing overall.

Butler was slated to take on Evansville and Cleveland State in a one-day event on March 10, but the contest was cancelled.

The Bulldogs will return from Florida to host the Butler Spring Invitational in Avon on March 26 and 27.

Butler freshman golfer Andrew Eiler picked up the sport of golf at a young age.

Based on his first semester of collegiate golf, the Bulldogs should consider themselves lucky he did.

“Andrew is the hardest worker in the world,” junior teammate Matt Vitale said. “He meshed well with this team.”

Photo by Rachel Anderson

Eiler walked on to the team prior to the start of the fall season.

At his first collegiate event, the Green Bay Invitational in mid-September, he had the second-best score on the team and tied for eighth place in the tournament.

He shot a 73 on the first day of the event and went on to finish a stroke behind Butler’s top finisher, junior Andrew Wegeng.

Eiler held his own through the rest of the fall season, participating as one of Butler’s five scoring individuals in the team’s other four events.

In two of those four matches, he was again one of Butler’s top three finishers.

Like many athletes, the Culver native got his start in his sport of choice through family ties.

When his older brother first started playing in tournaments, a four-year-old Eiler was alongside him, either watching his brother play or hitting the practice greens.

When practicing, he would chip and putt for an hour or two while his brother played.

Eiler said it was not until the sixth grade that he became serious about pursuing golf.

“[In sixth grade] I found my current swing coach and took lessons about once a week,” Eiler said. “The longest amount of time I went without a lesson was two weeks.”

Eiler said his time at Culver Academy helped to prepare him for both playing golf at a higher level and college life.

“Time management was a key skill I picked up at Culver,” Eiler said. “It made the transition to college life much easier.”

Eiler said motivation is not a worry for him either.

“Hitting a bad shot is enough motivation to keep working hard to improve as hitting a good shot is,” Eiler said.

Eiler described his time spent during most summers as “practically living at the golf course.” He said he goes to the course or driving range to clear his head.

Butler coaches and players have only heaped praise upon Eiler and his play so far this season.

One of Butler’s other freshman golfers, Logan Holt, echoed Vitale’s thoughts on Eiler’s work ethic, adding that the two share somewhat of a rivalry both on and off the course.

“Our matches get pretty intense, and we always have pretty epic battles on the links,” Holt said. “[I beat him] in NBA2K12 every weekend, and those games get almost as heated as the golf matches.”

Coach Bill Mattingly used the terms “resilient” and “competitor” to describe Eiler.

“On the course, he is very calm and able to bounce back from a bad hole,” Mattingly said.

The Bulldogs will likely need Eiler to put those qualities on display when the team heads to Florida during spring break.

Butler will compete in three separate events during the trip.

First the Bulldogs will take on Evansville and Cleveland State in a dual meet.

After that, Butler will compete in the Benbow and Butler Invitationals.

During the same trip last season, Butler was led by now-graduated Ryan Wegeng and finished second of two teams, ninth of 11 teams and fourth of four teams in the three events.

Butler athletic team members with spring seasons are familiar with hitting the road for long trips to warmer locales.

The number of miles racked up by some squads may be surprising though.

Graph by Rachel Anderson

Seven of Butler’s athletic teams have made or will make at least two trips more than 600 miles from Butler during the 2011-12 school year.

Men’s and women’s golf coach Bill Mattingly said the Midwestern climate of Indianapolis makes scheduling far-off events necessary.

“In the spring, we go down south, and we try to do more [long trips] because of the better weather,” Mattingly said.

Both golf teams will head to Jacksonville, Fla., over spring break, where the Bulldogs will face non-conference opponents.

Mattingly said this helps the teams prepare for Horizon League play.

“We like to play against different teams in other conferences to help us get ready for our conference,” Mattingly said. “Playing better teams on tougher courses can get us ready for that.”

The Butler softball team is also accustomed to starting off the first month of the season in the South or on the West Coast.

The team is making a trip to Fresno, Calif., for this weekend’s 2012 Bayer CropScience Classic.

The Bulldogs will then travel from Fresno State to Pacific University in Oregon for two contests on March 14.

Senior outfielder Lauren McNulty said that while the trips may sometimes involve driving long distances, it is worth it to be able to leave the cold weather behind.

“I think I speak for all of my teammates when I say that we would take a 10-hour bus ride every weekend to play in nice weather,” McNulty said.

While the Butler football team plays its games in the fall, it is a member of the far-reaching Pioneer Football League.

While the longest trip made from Butler to another Horizon League member’s location is 349 miles for Youngstown State, annual cross-country flights are required in the PFL.

Teams from North Carolina, California, Florida and New York are currently part of the league.

Senior quarterback Andrew Huck said that while the trips offer some players a chance to see a new part of the country, they have to focus on the competition ahead.

“We had a lot of players who hadn’t been to California or on a plane before,” Huck said. “We have to keep in mind that we’re going on a business trip rather than a spring break vacation.”

Huck said the time change between Indiana and California can be difficult to cope with.

“We’ve had games start at 7 or 8 [p.m.] their time, which is 11 here, and we only have one day to overcome jet lag,” Huck said.

McNulty said that flying to games does not affect her play.

“I’ve never experienced jet lag or exhaustion after flying to a tournament,” McNulty said. “The most tiring trip is usually the trip home because we are physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted after a weekend of games.”

According to Huck, the long road trips that teams embark on are useful for improving the chemistry and camaraderie of a team’s members.

“I would say it brings you closer,” Huck said. “You’re removed from campus, and you’re really bonding with each other.”

It is that time of the year again.

No, not the wildly popular basketball spectacle that is March Madness. Rather, now is the return of a sport after a long hiatus—golf.

The golf season is split into two separate sections—one for the fall semester and one for the spring. But in between those seasons is a long break.

During that break—since the sport is technically not considered in-season—the athletes are limited to eight hours of organized practice per week. That includes activities such as working out and hitting the driving range.

It is officially time for the Butler men’s and women’s golf teams to start playing again, though.

The squads have a variety of goals and expectations as their spring season gets underway.

MEN’S TEAM

The Butler men’s golf team is looking to rebound in the upcoming spring season after a disappointing finish to the fall season.

Collegian file photo

While the team won its first tournament of the season at Green Bay and finished second in the Butler Fall Invitational, the Bulldogs placed ninth, 12th and 13th in their other three fall events.

According to coach Bill Mattingly, it all starts with trying to improve as a team.

“The conference is wide open this year,” Mattingly said. “With the guys we have, there is a good chance we could win.”

Players said they feel they have what it takes to make the ascension to champions of the Horizon League.

Junior Matt Vitale said that unity has been important for Butler.

“I think the biggest thing that it comes down to is that we all like each other and everyone enjoys the game of golf,” Vitale said.

Vitale was a walk-on to the team last year. Initially, he said he felt like he had to prove himself to show he belonged, but he does not feel the same way now.

The feeling of togetherness within the team does not stop there, though.

“The juniors and seniors have been really welcoming,” freshman Andrew Eiler said. “They have been a lot of help in transitioning from high school to college golf.”

Mattingly said Eiler is the youngest major contributor to the team.

“He came in, won his spot on the team and never gave it away,” Mattingly said.

Players say they revel in the chance to have workouts with their teammates—even if they come at 6 a.m.—as it is another opportunity to be pushed to work that much harder.

Senior Alex Walker has been on the team long enough to know the ins and outs of not only the sport but the balance of college life as well.

Walker said the preparation involved to get physically and mentally ready for the spring season should constantly be stressed, and he hopes to help players learn how to get better in order to win the conference tournament.

The Bulldogs open their spring season in Florida against Evansville and Cleveland State on March 10.

After that, the team has seven events between March 10 and April 29. Six of these are multi-day contests, three of which will take place in Florida.

WOMEN’S TEAM

The women had a successful fall season, winning three out of five invitationals.

Mattingly said he knows the transition from one season to the next can be difficult at first.

“The first few tournaments will be rough,” Mattingly said.

Players said they know this as well.

The time off is one major disadvantage of playing golf in the northern half of the country.

Collegian file photo

Thanks to weather, teams in the North are not able to practice and play on courses during their own free time like the teams in the South are.

This creates a huge disadvantage for teams like Butler, but shaking off the rust is essential if the Bulldogs plan to build on their success in the fall season.

“It’s definitely going to be difficult since [the USA Women’s Invitational] is our first tournament in a few months,” senior Michele Nash said. “Mentally, you have to prepare yourself for the spring season and expect to shoot your best scores.”

Nash is coming off a fall season in which she recorded two first-place finishes, a runner-up showing and two fifth-place finishes.

In addition to the strong play from Nash, two freshmen also contributed to the success the team had in the fall.

Both Isabella Lambert and Jenna Peters had a top-three finish at one tournament in the fall.

Mattingly heaped praises upon them and said he expects them to be “stronger, smarter and a little more poised” after having one semester of experience under their belts.

According to Peters, the Bulldogs are not merely looking to improve, though.

“I would really like to go to the NCAA tournament,” Peters said.

Mattingly said he believes an NCAA tournament appearance is possible and has gotten the players to buy into it, too.

Butler was tabbed to win the Horizon League in a preseason poll by Golfweek magazine, and the Bulldogs said they fully plan to come out firing with a strong showing in Mobile, Ala.

That is where the USA Women’s Invitational was held yesterday and today.

Nash finished in a three-way tie for fifth place at the event, leading the Bulldogs to a runner-up showing.

Lambert had the second-best showing of all Butler players, finishing in eighth.

Butler finished two strokes behind host South Alabama in the 13-team event.

The women will now compete in the same seven events as their male counterparts between March 10 and April 29.

Nearly anyone involved in a team sport at the collegiate level will likely say that individual glory pales in comparison to how the team does in a game, match or invitational.

It turns out that Butler junior golfer Andrew Wegeng is no different.

“I didn’t even think about it at the time,” Wegeng said of setting Butler’s low score golf record last week.

In the second round of the Butler Fall Invitational at Highland Country Club on Oct. 3, Wegeng shot a 65, breaking the school record of 66 set by Jeff Chapman in 2001 and Michael Amore in 2007.

“It was a great round,” coach Bill Mattingly said. “He’s a really good player, and it’s all coming together for him.”

Wegeng’s performance allowed him to take home medalist honors. It also gave the Bulldogs a runner-up finish in the event.

Wegeng, who grew up on a golf course and started playing in tournaments at age 10, said the 65 was the best moment of his collegiate career so far.

“It has to be [my top moment],” Wegeng said. “I’ve shot a lower score before but considering the circumstances, it has to be.”

Wegeng’s career-best score is actually a 64, which he carded during a non-competitive round at the Legends of Indiana Golf Course.

“He’s got the ability to get it going when he needs to,” Mattingly said.

Wegeng tied for first on the Butler squad in scoring average last season and recorded his season-low 70 in that season’s Butler Fall Invitational.

In each of Butler’s three competitions so far this season, Wegeng has finished with the lowest score on the team.

“I’m starting to play better lately,” Wegeng said. “I’m confident, and I’ve been practicing hard.”

The Bulldogs picked up a victory at the Green Bay Invitational on Sept. 13 to complement their second place showing at Highland Country Club.

Those outcomes, combined with Wegeng’s team-leading performances, are putting Wegeng’s dedication to the game on display.

“I want to shoot low enough to help the team get more victories,” Wegeng said. “An individual victory is good, but a team victory is sweeter.”

The only thing more ideal than Tuesday’s weather was Butler’s golf game.

Senior Michelle Nash captured medalist honors while leading the Butler women to a team championship in the Butler Fall Golf Invitational. The win marked the squad’s third tournament victory in as many tries.

The Bulldogs entered the final day of competition with a 13-stroke lead over Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. The Jaguars played catch-up, shooting a tournament-best 287 in the final round of play.

Photo by Rachel Anderson

IUPUI, led by junior Jordan Essman, finished second, four strokes behind host Butler.

Essman closed out the tournament tied with Nash as both players shot identical first and second rounds, finishing with overall scores of 142. Nash, one of five Bulldogs to finish in the top 20, captured medalist honors in a playoff against Essman.

Junior Julia Porter and freshman Isabella Lambert finished tied for fifth and seventh, respectively. Freshman Jenna Peters finished tied for 12th, and senior Clare Cornelius tied for 17th.

On the men’s side, junior Andrew Wegeng also captured medalist honors and paced Butler’s men’s squad en route to a second place team finish behind IUPUI.

During Monday’s second round, Wegeng shot a school-record 65. He shot an even-par 70 in the final round to finish one stroke ahead of Eastern Illinois senior David Lawrence.

“Andrew [Wegeng] has been knocking on the door for a few years,” Butler head coach Bill Mattingly said. “He has worked hard, especially on his short game, to get to where he is.”

The Bulldogs entered Tuesday’s final round with an 11-stroke lead over eventual winner IUPUI.  Three Jaguars shot under par to lead IUPUI to a tournament-best 273 in the final round. The Jaguars finished four strokes ahead of host Butler.

Four Bulldogs finished in the top 20, including junior Matt Vitale, who finished with an overall score of 216, one stroke ahead of senior teammate Jordan Mack. Senior Alex Walker finished with a final score of 218.

Photo by Rachel Anderson

The men will get a week off before resuming play Oct. 17 at the Dayton Fall Invitational in Dayton, Ohio.

“There is always room for improvement in golf,” Wegeng said. “We beat a lot of good teams in this tournament and gained some confidence. I think we will progress really well.”
The Butler women will be in action this weekend as part of the MAC Preview in Indianapolis.