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4/2/2009 - MEN'S GOLF
Mercer Golfers Moving Up National Ladder - Macon Telegraph
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MACON, Ga. - The cherry blossoms aren't the only things blooming this spring. The golf game for Mercer’s men is flourishing, as well.
“Everyone on the team has improved,” head coach Andrew Tredway said. “That’s the No. 1 thing. Every guy I either inherited or I recruited has gotten better.”
When Tredway took over in August of 2007, Mercer was in the middle of the pack of the nearly 300 Division I golf teams, starting at 164. The Bears sat 156th entering the 2008-09 season.
They’ve made quite a jump since then.
Mercer is 78th in one national poll and 79th in the other, numbers that are likely to improve after today’s final round of the Western Intercollegiate in Santa Cruz, Calif.
“It’s one of the most prestigious tournaments in college golf and one of the longest running,” Tredway said of the event, which through the years has included Johnny Miller, Mark O’Meara and Tiger Woods. “It’s a great tournament.”
The Bears ended the first day in fifth place but struggled quite a bit Monday with a round of 31 over. Mercer is ninth, 23 shots behind Fresno State.
Even if the Bears maintain and finish in the middle of the 18-team field that includes 10 teams in the top 100 and three in the top 50, it won’t be good enough.
“Last year, our mind-set was to try to play well and not finish toward the bottom,” senior Ryan Blackburn said, “which sounds bad to say, but that’s how it was.”
Mercer was in transition with Tredway taking over as classes and the season started. The Bears finished in the top half of the field in only one of nine tournaments in 2007-08. One of Tredway’s tasks was to dive into the planning of the first Brickyard Collegiate at the Brickyard, a big undertaking under normal circumstances but even more daunting while assuming a new job.
Full Article by Michael Lough
Macon Telegraph
