Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

39° Evanston, IL
Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

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Northwestern men’s golf coach Pat Goss is tired of losing.

This winter, the Wildcats, who have placed in the top 10 in the NCAA for the past five years, have had two of the worst performances anyone can recall.

“I’ve never been on a team that’s placed dead last twice,” NU golfer Tom Johnson said of the Cats’ finishes at the Mercedes-Benz and Puerto Rico Classics.

So for the past week, Goss’ golfers have engaged in an unorthodox exercise to build up mental toughness in pressure situations.

They run around their practice facility until they’re exhausted. Then each player steps up to the tee and has to make his shot between two goal posts. To top it off, the rest of the team is heckling the guy the whole time.

“It’s actually a lot of fun,” Johnson said. “When you know you need to hit the shot, you know you can make it.”

Goss attributes the early season flop to a mental breakdown rather than a lack of talent.

“They need to be better competitors,” Goss said. “They haven’t shown the ability to get the most out of their rounds.”

NU has been re-examining its season outlook after starting the year with high expectations.

“The way we have been playing is mind-boggling,” Johnson said.

The biggest difference from the 2001 season has been the graduation of NU golfer Luke Donald, a four-time All-American and the 1999 NCAA national champion now playing on the PGA tour.

“We’re not going to fill his shoes,” Goss said. “But Tom Johnson should be a top player, and we have more depth this year in the two through five spots.”

Rounding out the starting squad are T.C. Ford, Scott Harrington, Chris Thayer and Bjorn Widerstedt.

The Cats should be no strangers to success, having won the Big Ten championship the past three years and the Prestige the past two.

But Goss wants this NU squad to carve out its own identity.

“They need to stand on their own volition,” he said. “This group needs to stand forth and make (the team) their own.”

Someone also needs to claim a leadership role, Goss said, pointing to Thayer and Johnson.

The biggest challenge this year will be securing a bid at NCAA regionals. But the season will also hinge on the Kepler Intercollegiate, the Fossum Spartan Intercollegiate and Big Tens.

The Cats’ next match is the Morris Williams Intercollegiate in Austin, Texas, on March 25.

And with that contest, Johnson is looking forward to a “brand new start” for the spring season.

After the Cats’ last two performances, who can blame him?

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Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881
Northwestern men’s golf coach Pat Goss is tired of losing.