March 10, 2005

The George Mason golf team will open their spring season this weekend at the 5th annual Winthrop-Waterford Invitational, March 13-15. The 36-hole event will be played at Waterford Golf Course in Rock Hill, S.C. The team will play in three additional tournaments before the CAA Championships April 14-17 at the Homestead Resort in West Virginia, and then finish out the season at the Penn State Rutherford Intercollegiate, April 28-30.

The outlook looks promising for the young golfers. Mason lost arguably its top player in history, Craig Mason, and doesn't have one senior on the team, but sixth year Coach Linda Gaudi is more optimistic than one would think. The Patriots return five letterwinners, all with good collegiate experience, and from top to bottom they are a more formidable squad. The team has already cut one stroke off its team average from the spring to fall season and have posted scores in the 60s.

Coach Gaudi feels confident that this group has already come together as a team and to be successful will rely on solid performances from all scores counted. "Last year, a lot of pressure was placed on Craig Mason, our top player, to perform great at every tournament for the team to be successful," said Gaudi. "This season I believe we are a stronger unit as a whole, with all five players capable of factoring into the final result," added Gaudi. As a team we expect to have all Top 10 finishes with ambitions of some Top 5 results this spring."

Topping the list of returning players are juniors Mike Cavanagh, who finished last season ranked 26th in Golfweek Sagarin Rankings in the Division I Mid-Atlantic Region, Mike Kirby and sophomore Nick DeSimone. Mike Cavanagh played in all but one tournament last season, ranking second on team in scoring average with 74.1 strokes per round. He finished in the Top 20 in six tournaments, with a 3rd place finish at the Drew Upton Memorial, shooting (71-71-72) 214. He placed 17th in the CAA Tournament carding a (73-75-76) 224 on the par 72, 7,032 yard Nansemond River Golf Club.

The Hibbing, Minnesota native had a terrific fall, lead the Patriots with a 72.5 stroke average, and he cracked the top 10 in the Golfweek Sagarin rankings at number 10. He scored a career-best second, one stroke off of first place, at the Sea Trail Intercollegiate with a 139 two-day total, third best in school history. Coach Gaudi was pleased with his results this fall season and looks to Mike to be a team leader, bringing a young group together to win as a team. "Mike has taken over as a leader on the course," said Gaudi. "With his work ethic and his strong desire to win, he is capable of winning a tournament this spring. He drives the ball a long way with accuracy and is a good putter."

Sophomore Mike Kirby improved his average over his freshman season from a 78.0 stroke average to a 76.4 stroke average. He participated in six tournaments, two in the spring and four in the fall and his best finish was tied for 12th at the CAA Championships, shooting a three-round (72-78-70) 220. "Mike will see a lot of play this season. He will be a contender day in and out, and with more focus he can be one of the top players consistently." added Gaudi.

George Mason sophomore Nick DeSimone, a highly rated player out of Maryland, participated in eight tournaments during his freshman season and had the third best scoring average on the team, averaging 75.2 per round. One of only three players to break 70 during the season and he accomplished that twice, scoring a 68 at the JMU Invitational and at the ODU/Seascape Collegiate. He finished in the Top 20 in three tournaments, all in the fall season, carding a career-best tied for 10th place at the ODU/Seascape Collegiate, shooting (68-76) 144.

Nick dropped his stroke average by one from his inaugural season, recording a 74.1 stroke average in the fall, second best on the team. He also placed seventh in the Elon Sea Trail Tournament, his career best finish. Coach believes that as he matures as a competitor he will be a major factor in this team's success. "Nick knows how to put the ball in the cup," said Gaudi. "I expect a lot out of Nick coming off his freshman season."

Two players expected to travel and make an impact this spring are Sophomores Trey Bressler and Daniel Hurley. They both gained some collegiate experience each playing in four tournaments apiece during their freshman campaigns. "Trey has come on strong this fall, working hard on his swing and gaining more confidence," said Gaudi. "Dan is a disciplined player and he knows how to go low, having scored in the 60's this past fall."

This past fall, the Patriots golf team was in the top 10 three out of four events. The team ended the season ranked 15th in the Mid-Atlantic District Rankings. The team averaged 74.7 strokes in 50 rounds led by Mike Cavanagh's 72.5 stroke average and Nick DeSimone's 74.1 stroke average.

Gaudi has three freshmen on her squad, but newcomer JJ Amoruso has the potential to be an impact player in his inaugural season. He participated in three tournaments this past fall and averaged 75.0 strokes per round, third best on the team. "JJ was a great pick up for our team," said Gaudi. "He comes with great enthusiasm and the drive to become a factor right away, and has been very consistent."

The other two freshmen David Murnane and Ryan Younger will gain some experience, but need to get acclimated. "Both these freshman are willing to do whatever it takes to become better players," said Gaudi. "With some experience and hard work, I believe they can get to where they want to be."

The George Mason golf team participated in 11 tournaments during the 2003-04 fall and spring seasons, including the CAA Championship in late spring. Mason's best finish was third place out of 18 teams at the Pirate Fall Intercollegiate. The Patriots never placed worse than 14th in a tournament, landing in the top 10 nine of the 11 tournaments. Mason has been stuck at seventh place in the past three CAA Championships. The Patriots placed seventh at the 2004 CAA Championships after carding a 904 (299-307-298). Sophomores Kirby and Cavanagh placed 12th and 17th respectively. The battle for the CAA Tournament will be even more competitive than last season. Coach Gaudi believes George Mason has a great chance to improve on last year's finish in the CAA Tournament. "We know that at one time or another we have beaten the teams in our conference," said Gaudi. "We are a more solid team this year, but so are the other CAA teams that we are competing with. We are willing to work twice as hard to catch them."