The NIU men’s golf team has had four qualifying rounds so far this fall, which would usually give the players enough time to prove themselves and pull away from the pack. However, coach Jack Pheanis said that none of his players have really made their move.

“Everyone seems to be bunched together,” Pheanis said. “Perhaps in the next few weeks, one or two will pull apart from the others.”

This year’s returning players are led by Mike Briggs, last year’s team MVP, who averaged 76 during the spring season. The only senior on the team is a transfer student from Texas Christian, Tek Osbourne.

Osbourne sat out last year due to NCAA requirements but hopes to give the team some much needed experience. Most of the golfers have little or no intercollegiate experience.

“Many of the younger players have done well in the qualifying rounds, but there is quite a difference between playing with your friend and trying to make a four-foot putt under pressure,” Pheanis said.

The men’s fall season opens Sept. 11-12 at the University of Minnesota Invitational in Minneapolis, Minn. This will be followed by the Northern Iowa Fall Classic in Cedar Falls on Sept. 16-18. After a stop at the Badger Fall Invitational in Madison, Wis. on Sept. 23-24, the team will return home to host the NIU/Elwood Greens Invitational at the Elwood Greens Country Club in Genoa on Sept. 30-Oct. 1. Its fall season concludes with a trip to the Purdue University Boilermaker Invitational on Oct. 15-16 in West Lafayette, Ind.

The only freshman member of the squad is Ray Eckersol, who last year competed for Lake Park High School. His talent is highly touted by Pheanis and is expected to have excellent seasons while at NIU.

Some of the other members who hope to make the five-man squad are Chad Barrons and Dave Wegrzyn, who were red shirted last year; Rick Stewart, who Pheanis hopes will improve on last year; sophomore Ted Meyer, who was class AA Illinois state high school champion two years ago; and Brian Chavez, a DeKalb native whose father is the resident professional at the Sycamore Golf Course.

“We have some very talented players this fall,” Pheanis said. “No one player stands out from the rest yet, but the best performer to date has been Briggs.”

Although the fall season is only a warm-up for the more rigorous spring schedule, it nonetheless will give Pheanis an idea of where his team is heading. And this year, he hopes his team will win a few tournaments and be selected to compete in the national tournament next spring.