Wisconsin Men's Golf Ready for Big Ten
May 07, 2004 | Men's Golf
After shooting their 18 and 54-hole low score of the spring last weekend, the Badger men 's golfers are prepared for the challenge of the Big Ten Championship Saturday and Sunday.
The 54-hole tournament will be held at the par 71, 6,704-yard University of Michigan Golf Course in Ann Arbor, Mich. The Wolverines will play host for the ninth time, the last was in 1994 when Wisconsin brought home the team title.
After finishing 11th in 2002 and 2003, the Badger's biggest goal will be to improve on those performances. That task is easer said than done among the tough conference competition. Six of the Big Ten teams are currently ranked among the top 55 nationally in Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings.
This season sports some new faces that the Badgers will depend on for a good finish in 2004. One of them is first-year head coach Jim Schuman. As the season nears its end, so does the adjustment period that a new coach and his student-athletes experience. The championship will be a good chance for Wisconsin to exhibit what Coach Schuman has brought to the program.
Another of UW's strengths emerges in true freshman Garrett Jones, who will be vying for a top-15 finish in his first conference championship appearance. He has led the Badgers in every spring competition and had the best finish by a Badger this year when he tied for fourth at the Emerald Coast Collegiate. He ranks first on the team in scoring averages with 74.7 strokes per round.
Unlike Jones, juniors Brian Brodell and Kevin Tassistro will be playing in their second and third championships, respectively. Tassistro fired a collegiate low 68 in the second round of last weekend's Bruce Fossum Invitational. He has also set personal 36 and 54-hole bests this season with a 139 at the Xavier Invitational and 220 at the Nestle Purina Classic.
By playing this weekend, Brodell will finish his second consecutive season without missing a tournament. He will look to continue his previous success at the U of M Golf Course. Last fall he fired 18 and 54-hole bests there in the Northern Intercollegiate, leading UW to a seventh place finish and tying for 10th individually.
Along with Tassistro, junior Dylan Esterling will play at the Big Ten Championship for the third time in his career. Esterling missed two spring tournaments due to injury, but made a strong return last weekend at the Fossum Invitational. All three of his rounds contributed to the team totals and he led the team in the third round with a 72.
Walk-on Ryan Conn is arguably the most surprising contributor this season. His debut at the Badger Invitational (tied for 25th with a 152) and performance at practices was so strong that Coach Schuman never had to take him off the roster. He is one of three Badgers to play in every tournament.
Red-shirt freshman T.J. Blakemore is the final player for Wisconsin at the tournament. He shot 18, 36, and 54-hole lows, while also notching his best finish of the season at the Nestle Purina Classic. He maintains an 81.7 scoring average through 15 rounds.
This year's tournament will feature live scoring at www.golfstat.com. Also watch uwbadgers.com for round-by-round coverage and scoring summaries.
