Coach Jack Jensen begins his 23rd
season as Guilford College's head golf coach with an optimistic outlook for the 1998-99
campaign - and with good reason. Over Jensen's tenure, Guilford has earned the reputation
as one of the best small-college programs in the nation. With four letter winners
returning from last season's team, including two-time All-American Bo Reitz, the
Quakers look forward to reaching the NCAA Division III National Tournament for the eighth
consecutive season and defending their 1998 Old Dominion Athletic Conference championship.
While Reitz returns, Guilford graduated two of its top three performers from the 1997-98 team, all-conference players Ty Saloma '98 and Matt Caruso '98. The trio led the Quakers to nine top-six finishes in 13 events and an 11th-place effort at the 23-team NCAA Championships in Jekyll Island, GA. Guilford placed second at the Old North State Invitational and Tom O'Briant Memorial tournaments and finished third at the 48th Southern California Intercollegiate at Torrey Pines. Individually, Reitz took medalist honors at the ODAC Championships and Old North State Invitational while Caruso placed second at the ODAC tourney. Reitz, Saloma or Caruso posted Guilford's lowest individual score in 11 of 13 events.
Reitz finished 11th at the 1998 Division III Championships to become Guilford's ninth two-time All-American. He joined a list of multiple All-Americans which includes some of the finest linksters in Guilford's proud golf tradition such as PGA Tour player Lee Porter '89 and three-time All-American Chris Haarlow '91.
Guilford's winning tradition helps the Quakers stay near the top of the Division III golf world and compete in some of the region's top tournaments. The exposure and experience gained at tourneys such as the Old North State Invitational, the TaylorMade Gordin Classic or the Southern California Intercollegiate make the Quakers better golfers come conference and national tournament time. Guilford has competed in 18 of the last 22 national tournaments, winning the 1989 NAIA title after three runner-up appearances from 1985-87. The Quakers have not missed the Division III National Tournament since joining the NCAA in 1992.
The past record gives Guilford fans reason to expect another successful season in 1998-99. Based on back-to-back top-11 finishes at the national championship tournament, Reitz enters the season as one of the 10 best returning Division III players in the country. Sophomore Clint Fields went through an up and down season one might expect from a first-year collegiate player. However, when Fields was good, he was very good and has one of the best swings on the team. Senior John Caruso has lowered his score in each of his first three seasons and has the experience of playing in three national championship tournaments. Junior Nathan Stambaugh made tremendous progress in 1998 despite missing the fall season to study in London. He turned in Guilford's second-lowest individual round of the year and placed seventh at the ODAC Championships.
Jensen says at least two of the Quakers' four newcomers will need to play well in their first season to keep Guilford nationally competitive. While first-year players are often subject to youthful mistakes, Jensen is optimistic about his 1998-99 prospects. Freshmen Andrew Biggadike, John Damiano, Fredrik Jonsson, and Greensboro's Andrew Eversole bring significant scholastic and junior golf experience to the program. Eversole carries a one handicap at the Cardinal Golf & Country Club, Guilford's home course.
Guilford will be challenged for a post-season berth once again by any number of teams in the perennially strong South region. Five of the top 11 teams at the 1998 NCAA Division III Championships came from the South, including national champion Methodist. The Quakers routinely compete with Methodist and other South region powers in some of the area's top tournaments. Following a season-opening ODAC match tournament at Bridgewater, Guilford's hosts the 11th annual Tom O'Briant Invitational at the Cardinal. Guilford's fall season concludes again at the TaylorMade Gordin Classic, which features the top 12 teams and selected individuals from the previous spring's Division III Championship.
The spring season includes stops at the Pine Needles/Pfeiffer Invitational, followed by a trip to Daytona Beach, FL, for the Embry-Riddle Spring Invitational. The Quakers will also compete in perennial south region power Emory University's tournament in Chestnut Mountain, GA and host the ODAC Championships at the River Ridge Golf Club in Raleigh, NC. The NCAA Championships will be held at the Taconic Golf Club in Williamstown, MA.