University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Part of a Strong Spring Break Field
3/26/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
FAU Spring Break Championship: The Gopher men's golf team will continue its spring season by traveling to Delray Beach, Florida to take part in the Florida Atlantic University men's golf program's second annual Spring Break Championship Tournament. Sixteen teams from 10 different states will be competing in the three-day event that is scheduled to begin on Friday, March 26 at Gleneagles Country Club's Legends Course. The field will play 18 holes on each day.
The University of Illinois is the reigning champion of FAU Championship. All three days can be followed live online at www.golfstat.com.
The Field (Golfweek ranking): University of Illinois (10th), University of Iowa (42nd), University of Michigan (46th), Eastern Michigan University (68th), University of Notre Dame (79th), Florida Atlantic University (81st), Penn State University (82nd), Ohio State University (87th), Minnesota (98th), St. Mary's College (99th), Florida Gulf Coast University (101st), University of Wisconsin (128th), Murray State University (143rd), Marquette University (172nd), University of South Florida (177th) and Northern Illinois University (193rd).
The Lineup (Round one tee time): Minnesota's lineup will consist of senior Ben Pisani (11:15), junior Donald Constable (11:33), sophomore Derek Chang (11:42) and freshmen David Haley Jr. (11:24) and Erik Van Rooyen (11:51). Junior Cameron White (12:45) will play the event as an individual.
Saving the Best for Last: Senior Ben Pisani has improved every season since he first arrived at Minnesota from Australia. As a freshman in 2006-07, Pisani played in 11 tournaments including the Big Ten Championships, the NCAA Central Regional and the NCAA Championships. He finished the season with a 76.17 stroke average. As a sophomore (2007-08) his average increased by almost a stroke but the real transformation came last year as a junior. He led the team to a runner-up finish at the Big Ten Championships as well as an appearance in the NCAA Regionals with a then career-low average of 73.27.
This season, Pisani has paced the Gophers with a career-best 71.5 stroke average after seven tournaments and has posted five top-10 finishes, including a runner-up finish at the 2009 Gopher Invitational. If his season average holds up, Pisani will hold the program's third-finest season, according to the stats. Former Gopher All-American and NCAA Champion James McLean holds the top two spots in single season stroke average after finishing with averages of 70.89 and 71.39 in 1999 and 1998, respectively. His current career average of 74.45 falls just outside of the program's top-10.
Pisani has been listed as one of Golfweek's "Player's to Watch" for much of the 2009-10 season and is currently ranked 35th in the most recent Golfweek/Sagarin College individual rankings and 27th by Golfstat's rankings. He finished last season as the 141st ranked player in the nation.
Up Next: The Gophers will have a quick turnaround before heading to Augusta, Ga. for the Augusta Invitational on April 3-4 at Forest Hills Golf Club. Minnesota finished 16th a last year's event but Ben Pisani posted a 5-under par 211, his then career-low 54 hole score. He has since carded a pair of 209's.
Players Mentioned
