GW golf coach Scott Allen has a problem other coaches would love to have.
The biggest dilemma he faces is which of his top 10 players to start this season.
“It’s the deepest team we’ve had in years,” said senior co-captain Dan Pereyo, the only senior on this year’s team. “The competition for starting spots will make us that much better.”
Pereyo, junior co-captain Dan Reardon and four other top returnees are joined by four newcomers this year. Bobby Barnett was last year’s top player in the state of Oregon, where he captured the state title by defeating the U.S. Junior Champion.
The team also welcomes twins Bryan and Tim Derdenger, both of whom played in the American Junior Golf Association PGA Junior Series. The last newcomer is the team’s only international player, Tim Blankvoort of the Netherlands. The newcomers should help replace Luis Barrutieta and Hideyuki Watanabe, who graduated in May.
Allen said he believes the four newcomers will play an integral role on the team, and he does not feel inexperience will be a problem.
“The amount of tournaments these players have been in should easily make up for the fact that they haven’t played in a real college setting yet,” Allen said.
Returning to this year’s squad are four sophomore starters from last season, Michael Goldman, who led GW in scoring average last year, Darren Ressler, the only Colonial to start in every tournament last season, Gavin Parsons and Ryan Day.
Tournament experience is important, because this year that is all GW will play. Allen said he looks forward to the courses on which GW will play its first few tournaments.
The Colonials open their fall season Sept. 19-20 at the Yale Fall Intercollegiate on the university’s golf course, which Allen said is one of the top 100 courses in the world. The team’s second tournament, which is being held at Bethpage Black Golf Club on Long Island, is one of the top 50 courses in the nation, Allen said.
Overall, Allen said he feels the Colonials are a strong young team on the rise. Last year, GW had its best finish in school history at the District II Tournament. Although the team has never made the NCAA Tournament, and an appearance there may be a lofty goal this season, Allen said he does believe the team will get more recognition in 1998-’99.
