Five members of the Irish golf team will travel to Tuscola, Ill., to compete in the Eastern Illinois Invitational over the next two days. Because NCAA regulations place a limit on the amount of competition days each team can have, the five players will be competing as individuals, and, as such, Notre Dame will not be represented at the event.Events like this, often dubbed "JV tournaments" by the team, help give experience to young or struggling players who may not often represent the Irish in official events."These guys most likely won't compete in the last two events of the fall season, but they're trying to get themselves ready for a spot in the spring," said assistant coach Chris Whitten, who will coach the team today and Tuesday.Leading the delegation on the course are seniors K.C. Wiseman and Steve Colnitis. Wiseman, a team co-captain, will be competing in his second individual event, after playing in the Earl Yestingmeier Classic last week. Both seniors hope to have good rounds to position themselves to compete for the Irish in future events.Junior Federico Salazar and sophomore Adam Gifford will also be taking the bus to Tuscola. Both will be competing in their second events, with Salazar coming of a 52nd place finish at the John Dallio Invitational two weeks ago, and Gifford tying for 17th in the same event. Rounding out the group will be sophomore Adam Hoyer. Hoyer, a transfer from the University of Florida, just received a roster spot last week after trying out and practicing with the Irish over the course of the semester. Although he may not play much for the Irish team this season, Whitten hopes he still may be able to provide some kind of spark."We're impressed with the competitiveness he brings to the table. He's very intense on the golf course and gets everything out of his game," Whitten said of Hoyer.The players will have to deal with some difficult weather conditions at the Invitational. The course is laid over a very open stretch of land, and the wind is going to affect play on both days."The weather is going to be an important factor," Whitten said, "It's going to be really windy, and we have to have control of our shots."
