Golf Tries To End Season Big

By: Jimmy Merritt

Posted: 4/24/06

The golf team will have their final tournament of the year as they travel to Dade City, Fla. for the Big East Championship at Lake Jovita Country Club.

The tournament will be the Huskies' last chance to salvage a below average season.

"We haven't been getting what we'd like to out of our guys this spring," said head coach Ron Dubois. "But this is an important tournament and they know that."

The Huskies are seeded 10 out of 12 teams in the field. Last year, only six teams qualified for the tournament.

After a practice round yesterday, the Huskies will play 36 holes on Monday and 18 holes on Tuesday.

The Huskies will tee off the first round at 8 a.m. with No. 11 Cincinnati and No. 12 Seton Hall and will remain in this group throughout the tournament. The second round will begin Monday at 1 p.m.

All three rounds will take place at the South Course, designed by PGA Tour golfer Tom Lehman.

This is the Huskies' second longest trip of the spring season which included tournaments in California and Delaware.
The winner will receive an automatic bid in the NCAA Tournament.

The Cardinals, ranked 48th in the country, are led by twin brothers Daryl and Derek Fathauer, who are both ranked in the top 100 college golfers in the country and are seeded in the top two in the Big East in 18-hole scoring average.

Notre Dame is the two-time defending champion.

Last week the Huskies finished ninth at the New England Division I Championship held at the Triggs Memorial Golf Course in Providence, R.I., shooting a 607 (313-294) for the weekend tournament.

Jason Parajeckas led the way for the Huskies with an 11th place finish with a two-day score of 147 (73-74) while Brian Trafalja and A.J. Siekierski placed 29th and 43rd, respectively.

The Huskies' 297 on Saturday was the second lowest score for the day, but wasn't enough of a make up for Friday's round.

"I don't know how to explain the first day scores," Dubois said. "We usually do well and should do well in the New England's [Championship], and you know you have the talent when you shoot the second best score on the second day of the tournament."

Binghamton University won the title with a score of 580 and Rhode Island's Ben Spitz took first place individually.