2003 TEMPLE GOLF SPRING OUTLOOK ::

The Temple golf team is looking to reach post-season competition this spring against the strongest opposition it has faced in years. Under the direction of second-year head coach Bill Mannino, the current roster consists of no seniors, two juniors, three sophomores and two freshmen. The Owls are slated to compete in five of the most prestigious district tournaments this spring.

The Owls will open the spring in early March at the Treasure Island Classic, hosted by St. John's, in South Florida. The squad will then head south again and travel to Colonial Williamsburg to compete in the William & Mary Invitational at Kingsmill Golf Club, the home of the PGA tour's Michelob Championship. The team will then stay close to home, competing in the Princeton Invitational and the Rutherford, hosted by Penn State. The Owls will close out the spring in Dayton, Ohio at the Atlantic 10 Championship.

"I love our spring schedule," said Mannino. "The tournaments increase in difficulty as the spring progresses. The guys will be finely tuned for the conference championship."

The Owls finished the fall season with four straight top-five finishes due the strong play of juniors Jerry Chen and James Chan.

"I can always count on Jerry and James to come through with good scores," said Mannino. "I am really excited for James. He is on his way to becoming an Academic All American."

Sophomores Matt Roberts, Bill Mullen and Pat O'Neill all contributed to the squad in the fall and look to post some low scores in the spring.

"Pat, Matt and Bill each had excellent finishes in respective tournaments," added Mannino. "All three of those guys are ready to take their games to a higher level. When they do, we are going to be tough to beat."

Philadelphia native Chris Thude, a freshman, contributed to the team by playing and counting in four out of the six events in the fall.

"Chris is the scrappiest player on the team. He can really chip and putt. Once Chris realizes that he is just as good as anyone else that he is competing against, he is going to win a golf tournament," said Mannino.

The Owls have come close to capturing several tournament titles in the last season and a half.

"Part of winning is to consistently put yourself into contention. From there, you have to find that special 'something' that is going to push you past the rest of the field. This team is close to finding that 'something'," said Mannino.