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Cards to Rely on Experience This Spring
February 24, 2015 | Men's Golf
Louisville, Ky. - The University of Louisville men's golf team will begin the spring portion of its 2014-15 campaign in just under a month, when the Cardinals will begin their six-event slate which will run from late-February through mid-May.
Having already put together an impressive fall season that saw the group notch three top-five finishes in five outings, the Cardinals are looking to parlay that momentum into a second consecutive appearance in the NCAA Regional.
Competing for top finishes at each of their fall events, the Cardinals put together what has become another routine first half for the program. The Cards earned their first tournament win of the season on Sept. 30, when they edged Louisiana-Monroe by one stroke to top the field at the Cardinal Intercollegiate, which was held for the first time at the University of Louisville Golf Club in Simpsonville, Ky.
Before that, the team earned sixth place finishes at the Northern Intercollegiate on Sept. 5-7, and the DICK'S Sporting Goods Collegiate Challenge Cup on Sept. 18-21. It was the first time for the Cardinals competing in the latter event, which pits teams from U of L's new conference home- the ACC- against teams from the SEC.
After winning the Cardinal, the team returned to notch a fifth place finish at the Ball State invitational in Noblesville, Ind. on Oct. 13-14. The team capped the fall by taking third at the Warrior Princeville Makai Invitational, which was held Nov. 3-5 in Kauai, Hawaii.
The Cardinals will begin their spring by traveling to Jacksonville, Fla. to compete in the sixth annual John Hayt Collegiate Invitational on February 27 through March 1. The Hayt Invitational, in which the Cardinals also competed last season, will also feature the likes of Texas, Tennessee, Furman, North Florida, and a handful of others.
The Cards will then travel to Tallahassee, Fla. on March 13-15, where the team will compete in the Seminole Invitational hosted by Florida State University. The event will feature three teams that ended the fall season ranked in the Golf Coaches Association of American top 25 poll in Florida State (3), North Carolina (17), and South Florida (23).
The team's second March event will be the 36th annual Schenkel Invitational. Taking place March 20-22 at the Forest Heights Country Club in Statesboro, Ga., the Schenkel will pit the Cardinals against some of their best competition of the season. The 16-team field is set to feature Auburn, Wake Forest, Florida, Kentucky, and Mississippi, among others.
The month of April will see the Cardinals take part in three tournaments, capping their regular season schedule with the Mason Rudolph and Purdue Invitationals. The Mason Rudolph Invitational, which will take place at the Vanderbilt Legends Club in Franklin, Tenn. from April 4-6, boasts a field that features Florida State, Vanderbilt, and defending national champion Alabama. The Purdue Invitational, which will be held at the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex in Lafayette, Ind. on April 19-20, also features an impressive 15-team field boasting Purdue, Illinois, UCLA, and Ohio State.
Following their regular season slate, the Cardinals will participate in the first ACC Championship Tournament. The tournament is to be held in New London, N.C. at the Old North State Golf Club on April 24-26. The Cardinals will be seeking their first conference tournament championship since winning the BIG EAST Conference Championship in 2008-09. As members of the BIG EAST Conference from 2005-13, the Cardinals captured two BIG EAST Championships (2006-07, 2008-09). The team finished fifth at the American Athletic Conference Championships in 2013-14.
Individually, the team will find leadership and production from three seniors in Maximillian Walz, Trevor Sluman, and Antoine LeSaux. The trio has helped the Louisville program earn 14 top three finishes since arriving on campus, and have helped the Cardinals to a solid start in their first season as a member of the ACC.
Walz, a senior from of Erbach, Germany, had his best full season as a junior in 2013-14. During the campaign, Walz turned in a 73.9 stroke average through 13 tournaments and notched one top 10 finish, while also being named an Academic All-American. Through the fall, Walz showed that he may be on track to best his performance from a year ago. Already the owner of a top 10 finish in 2014-15, Walz put together a 72.9 stroke average through the fall and tied a career-best tournament showing of 208 at the Warrior Princeville Makai Invitational. Head coach Mark Crabtree called Walz a player "capable of putting together a string of good rounds," and one who "will develop as far as his mind will take him."
In his final year at Louisville, Sluman could make a bid as the team's most improved player. In the fall, Sluman put together a career-best stroke average of 73.4- more than two strokes better than his 75.7 average from 2013-14. The fall also saw Sluman earn his second top 10 finish, with a tied for eighth place showing at the Northern Intercollegiate (70-77-73=220). "(Sluman is) one of our best players from tee to green," Crabtree said of the Rochester, N.Y. native, noting that Sluman's largest growth will be in his consistency.
LeSaux, out of Caudan, France, will be the team's captain and leader, according to Crabtree. "(LeSaux) has great fight and determination," Crabtree said. "One of the best I have ever coached in that area." Having a break-out season in 2013-14 with five top 10 finishes, LeSaux competed in three fall tournaments to average 72.0 strokes and shoot a career-best round of 65 in the third round of the Warrior Princeville Makai Invitational.
Juniors Robin Sciot-Siegrist, Gus Lundquist, and David Torres are the team's three additional upperclassmen. Sciot-Siegrist, from Rueil-Malmaison, France, is a two-time All-Conference selection, and No. 60 on the World Amateur Golf Rankings Top 100. "He has all the tools to be among the best in the country," Crabtree said. "As he improves his wedge play and short game, he can compete at the highest level of collegiate and amateur golf." Competing internationally over the summer, Sciot-Siegrist returned for the fall to compete in three tournaments, posting a 71.2 stroke average, earning a top 10 finish, and shooting a career-best round of 65 in the second round of the Warrior Princeville Makai Invitational.
Lundquist is also on pace for his most productive season. Playing in eight tournaments during his first two seasons, the Parker, Colo. native competed in three of the Cardinals' fall outings, putting together a 75.2 stroke average.
Crabtree, who notes Lundquist's "tremendous work ethic and love for the game," states that improvement in the short game will be the key to Lundquist's success this season.
Torres is a transfer student-athlete who will compete for the first time as a Cardinal in the spring. Spending his first two seasons at Seattle University, Torres golfed in 20 tournaments, averaging 74.7 strokes per round and earning two top 10 finishes. Noting Torres' love for the game, Crabtree believes that Torres' power is his strongest attribute, and that "understanding how to play the game on the course" will be the focus.
Sophomores Robert Geibel and JD Lehman, despite their age, will be key contributors to this year's team. As freshmen last season, each competed in 12 tournaments.
Geibel (Pembroke Pines, Fla.), who last year averaged 72.6 strokes per round, shot a 201 at the Warrior Princeville Makai, and was named AAC Freshman of the Year, competed in all five of the Cardinals' fall events, netting two top 10 finishes.
Lehman (Bluffton, S.C.), who averaged 74.5 strokes per round as a freshman, earned a top 10 finish during the fall and improved his stroke average to 73.9. Crabtree identified course management and technique as improvement areas that will help develop these talented young players.
Players Mentioned
