Temple University Athletics
Owls Set To Take Flight For Spring Golf Campaign
3.5.07 | Men's Golf
March 5, 2007
PHILADELPHIA - Temple golf enters the spring season looking to utilize its experience and increased squad size to achieve improved results. Although the team is in the midst of a rebuilding stretch, third-year head coach Brian Rogers is confident in its ability to achieve victory. Much of that confidence can be attributed to the fact that he has a larger parliament of Owls under his direction.
"The difference between last year and this year lies in our depth," said Rogers. "We have gone from eight players on our roster to 11 or 12, which is where we intend to stay. The facilities we utilize allowed us an extra foursome during practice times and this should pay immediate dividends. We also sought some more experienced players in recruiting via the transfer route."
This past fall, the Owls struggled in the season's early going, posting a trio of finishes of 12th or lower in their first three events. The team's youth and inexperience was evident. As the season wore on, however, improved outcomes followed and the team earned a pair of fourth place finishes down the stretch.
"Our scoring average as a team is better, but every other team's scoring averages have improved as well," said Rogers. "We are no longer counting those high scores like we used to, the 84's, 85's and 86's. Our high scores are middle to upper 70's. That still needs to improve, because in order to compete it is no longer the `300' days, where a team could count four rounds at 75 or better and be competitive. To be successful, a team has to have players under par. In years past, 300 would win a handful of tournaments. Now a team would not even finish in the top 10. There's been tremendous overall improvement in our region and in college golf in general."
Primary to Temple's improvement and success is the play of senior team co-captain James Boose. The Ancaster, Ontario, native has played in 27 career events at Temple since transferring from Oakland University in Rochester, Mich. Last spring, he was the Owls' top performer in five of six tournaments, posting a 75.9 stroke average over 12 rounds.
"James has an enormous amount of tournament experience,' said Rogers. "He competes in anything he can enter, especially during the off-season. He has taken his opportunity as a leader and senior team captain and really run with it. He's the type of student-athlete that a coach wants on his team. I can largely leave him alone out there on the course and not have to worry."
The other senior on the Cherry & White roster is Plymouth Meeting, Pa. native and co-captain Logan Terry. Terry, who won the 2005 Montgomery County Amateur, burst upon the scene as a true freshman, earning four top 10 finishes during his first campaign on the collegiate links. The past two seasons, Terry has experienced some ups and downs, providing both impressive rounds in the 60's while also flirting with scores in the low 80's. In the fall, he had a solid showing at The McLaughlin, carding a three-round 214 to finish 17th in the 82-player field.
"Logan just needs to believe in himself," said Rogers. "He really is as good as his potential. Sometimes he holds back a little bit and makes mental mistakes. This spring he is going to be aggressive and just go for it."
Sophomore Adam Pifer was Temple's top performer in the fall. The Telford, Pa., native led the team in four of six tournaments en route to a 74.8 stroke average. He has competed in 17 events in just three semesters on the collegiate links.
"Adam is beyond his years," said Rogers. He plays and acts like a senior. He has taken advantage of the starting role he earned and never looked back. He did not need to qualify once this past fall for an event. He exempted himself through his tournament play."
The remaining six active players on the Temple roster all boast tournament experience. Transfers Paul Amess and Hugo Braune are both international students that saw their first action in Cherry and White in the fall. Amess, a junior from Stevenage, London, and Braune, a sophomore from Norrkoping, Sweden, have now gone through an acclimation stage, enabling them to further concentrate on golf. Also squarely in the mix are junior returnee Kevin Busteed, who has played nine events, and sophomore Patrick Rugg, who has displayed his tournament-wares on 12 occasion since his arrival on North Broad Street. Sophomores Justin Masters and Eric Plisko also possess tournament experience and will vie for positions in the starting five.
"Our four through seven positions are pretty interchangeable," said Rogers. "We do not want the same five every week, because that breeds complacency. With the depth and quality of players that we have, our `number one' might not qualify for an event. They all have to earn their spots and that is how it will continue to be."
True freshman Sasha Bozic rounds-out the Temple roster. He is poised to redshirt, but will practice and further push the competition factor among the squad.
The Owls have six events on their spring schedule. The team opens at the Treasure Coast Classic in Fort Pierce, Fla. in early March before traveling to Kingsmill, Va., Annapolis, Md., Princeton, N.J. and Littlestown Pa. Temple will conclude its regular season at the Atlantic 10 Championships at Orange County National Golf Club in Winter Garden, Fla.
"The hardest thing with the spring schedule, obviously, is the weather," said Rogers. "It can range anywhere from no lay-off to a couple of months lay-off until we get on the golf course. Typically, our initial event of the spring marks the first time that we get on the course and it comes under tournament conditions. A-10's are going to be a real test. Last season, five teams received regional bids to the NCAA Tournament. Overall, we're very excited about the schedule and the opportunities it presents. We get to continually play against the best teams in the region, and that's what we want to do.
"By utilizing our facilities to their fullest extent and by working with the players on a more individual basis, we can really make some waves this season. We have a great group of players, who are all very capable of performing at this level. When we are playing to our potential, we can compete with anybody in our region."
