Cats take seventh at Match Play

The University of Cincinnati men’s golf team closed out the fall portion of its
2009-10 schedule Sunday, Nov. 1, at Pine Needles Golf Club in
Southern Pines, N.C.

The Bearcats finished 7th overall in The Match Play tournament.

The Match Play pits individual players from one team against those of an opposing school measuring individual holes won by a player in a match, as opposed to traditional
stroke play.

After receiving a first-round bye, UC took on the University of Connecticut team and
lost 5-1.

“UConn outplayed us on a key stretch of holes,” head coach Doug Martin said. “We just got outplayed.”

Following the second-round loss to the Huskies, Cincinnati took on Georgetown and came up short once more, losing 5 1/2-1/2.

UC then defeated Rutgers by a 4-2 score to claim seventh place. Louisville ended up with the title, beating Notre Dame.

As the tournament marked the end of the fall calendar for the team, the coaching staff was adamant about becoming more consistent and improving in the offseason.

“I would classify this fall season as a lump sum of missed opportunities,” Martin said. “It was good and bad in the same breath, but we have to learn to be more competitive.”

Leading the Bearcats in scoring average this fall were David Tepe and Joe Kastelic, each averaging 73.6 strokes per round.

Freshman Zach Bates rounds out the top-three with a 74 average.

UC has a young team this year, with no seniors and only three juniors.

Although UC hasn’t won any tournaments this season, they finished in the top three out of the five tournaments they’ve  played in.

Their best finish was a second-place performance in the Cleveland State Invitational.

UC looks to build on those performances this spring, starting March 1 at the Tennessee-Martin Invitational.

The Bearcats will start training for their spring schedule as soon as possible, which Martin expects to have a huge impact on the success of their spring season.

“We must go the extra mile in the winter and make physical changes to our golf games.”

The Big East Championship is set to begin Sunday, April 18, in Palm Harbor, Fla.