Brent Goodenow May 6, 2009

Central to Florida for NCAA tourney

PELLA—Getting there was the hard part.  

But survival is the next goal for the Iowa Conference champion Central College men’s golf team as it prepares for its 28th trip to the NCAA Division III championships in Port St. Lucie, Fla. next Wednesday through Saturday.

The 36-team, 185-player field is reduced to the top 23 teams and top five individual at-large competitors after two rounds of the 72-hole tournament. Central is making its first NCAA appearance since 2007, when the team finished 13th. The Dutch have recorded nine top-10 finishes, including a fifth-place showing in 1985.

The meet will be played at the 54-hole PGA Village. Central freshman Sarah Paulson (Ottumwa) will be competing as an at-large individual in the women’s tournament which will use the Wanamaker Course while the more sizable men’s field will split the first two days between the Dye Course and the Ryder Course.

The Dutch will use the same lineup that claimed the school’s 27th conference title last weekend in Indianola with two-time league champ Andy Petersen (senior, Davenport, West HS), Andrew Townsend (junior, Bettendorf, Pleasant Valley HS), Justin Smool (junior, Bagley, Panorama HS), Matt Vegter (freshman, Morrison, Ill.) and Jason Harvey (sophomore, Goldfield, Clarion-Goldfield HS).

The PGA Village is owned and operated by the PGA of America and is listed among the top golf resorts in North America by Golf Digest. It houses the PGA Historical Center museum, where the Ryder Cup is currently displayed.

It’s a daunting setting, particularly for a team that includes four players with no national tournament experience. Petersen is the only returnee from Central’s 2007 team which placed 13th in Division III.

“They’re two really good golf courses,” said coach Charlie Estabrook of the Dye and Ryder courses. “They’re both demanding off the tee and are in very, very good shape. They have undulating greens and test every part of your game.

“The big thing is patience. It’s a four-day tournament and to get to day three, you can’t get too uptight thinking about it being the national tournament. If we just play our game, we should be OK.”

Estabrook is taking his seventh Central team to the NCAA tourney in his 12 seasons and has seen what it takes to succeed.

“If you have a bad nine (holes), don’t worry about it,” he said. “Just because it’s a bigger stage doesn’t mean we can’t be ourselves.

“The team that doesn’t make a lot of double bogeys has a good chance of staying around four days and being competitive.”

Because teams will play different courses in the first two rounds, there is a premium on preparation during the Monday and Tuesday practice rounds.

“We’ll really have to do our homework,” Estabrook said.

While southern schools such as host Methodist College (N.C.), ranked No. 2 and No. 1 Huntingdon College (Ala.) are the tourney favorites, Estabrook thinks teams from Central’s region will make an impact.

“(No. 6) Illinois Wesleyan has a great shot,” he said. “They’re one of the hottest teams in the country. (No. 7) St. John’s (Minn.) and (No. 16) Carthage (Wis.) should also do well.”

Estabrook is eyeing an upper-division finish.

“The thing that I’ve really stressed all spring is getting contributions from (players) one through five,” he said. “If we continue to do that the way we did in the conference meet last weekend, I think we can do very well. A top-10 finish is not unrealistic. That’s our team goal.”

Petersen is hopeful of attaining all-America recognition by placing in the top 15. He was 71st in 2007. Petersen finished third in the league tourney last week. Estabrook said some uncharacteristic putting woes kept him out of the top spot.

“If his putting comes around and he putts like he’s capable, he can get in the top 10,” Estabrook said. “His maturity has helped him a lot this year. He’s more patient and is making better decisions off the tee. Andy’s having an incredible senior year.”

Petersen has posted five top-five tournament finishes, winning the Simpson and Wartburg invitationals.

Last year Petersen set the school season stroke average record of 73.7 and is averaging 73.8 in 2009. Townsend, who tied for first at the Buena Vista Invitational, is averaging 75.5 with Smool at 77.1, Vegter at 77.3 and Harvey at 77.6.