Penn State men's golf head coach Greg Nye is looking forward to the spring of 2001. After a successful fall season that saw the Nittany Lions win the Georgetown Invitational and Matt Abbott take the Northern Intercollegiate, Nye knows that his team is developing well thus far. "With three of five starting spots in our lineup changing, it was tough to know what to expect," head coach Greg Nye said. "In my view we played well in five of 6 events, exceptionally well in three events. I am very pleased and encouraged by the play of Andy Latowski and Josh Dawes. Matt Abbott goes without saying. He is one of the finest players in the country." The Penn State men's golf team opened their fall slate in Verona, Wisconsin at the 2000 Badger Invitational hosted by Big Ten foe Wisconsin. At the tough University Ridge Golf Course, the Lions posted a course record score of 864 (E), only to be bested by four strokes by the host Badgers. Penn State finished second overall out of 15 top midwest teams. Individually for the Lions, Matt Abbott kicked off his strong fall season shooting an opening round 69 and following with scores of73 and 72 to finish fourth at -2 (214). Andy Latowski and Jim Fuller both posted scores of -1 (215), which placed them tied for fifth overall. In the third week of September, the Nittany Lions headed west to Fort Collins, Colorado for the Ram Intercollegiate. After 10 inches of snow shortened the tournament to two rounds, the Penn State men's golf squad finished third of 15 teams at Fort Collins Country Club. The Nittany Lions were again paced by strong play from senior Matt Abbott who finished second. Abbott took the tournament lead after shooting an opening round 65, and shot a second round 72 to finish at 137 (-3). Individually for the Lions, Josh Dawes stepped up and finished tied for twelfth after posting rounds of 70 and 72, for a total of 142 (+2). After returning from Colorado, Penn State headed out to the Northern Intercollegiate, hosted by Illinois. The Northern Intercollegiate, which serves as the Big Ten Preview, had been dominated by Matt Abbott the past two seasons. During Abbott's sophomore campaign, he finished second, one shot out of the lead after shooting rounds of 69, 67 and 66. In his junior season, he won the event with rounds of 76-69-70. In the fall of 2000, the story was the same as Abbott took first place at the precursor to next spring's Big Ten Championship. Like the 1999 Northern, Abbott was the only golfer to finish the tournament under par, firing rounds of 70, 71 and 74 for a 215 total (-1), winning the tournament by a four stroke margin. Contested at Stone Creek Golf Club in Urbana, Illinois, the Northern saw the Penn State team finish tenth out of the 18-team field, one stroke out of a three-way tie for seventh. Josh Dawes again played well for Penn State, finishing in a six-way tie for 21st place. Continuing their successful fall season at the Provident Invitational hosted by Xavier, the Penn State men's golf team finished second out of 20 teams, one shot behind first place Wisconsin. On the 6,568 yard par 71 Grizzly Tournament Course, Matt Abbott again led the charge, finishing third overall, two strokes out of the lead. He recovered from an opening round 76 with scores of 68 and 67 to finish at 211 (-2). Also for the Lions, Andy Latowski finished in a five-way tie for 11th, shooting 72-74-73 for a 219 total (+6). The Nittany Lions next traveled to Williamsburg, Virginia to the Ford's Colony Marsh Hawk course for the NCAA East Fall Preview. The Nittany Lions finished eighth out of a field of 24. Pacing the Lions was Andy Latowski, who shot 72-74 for a 146 (+2). Latowski finished in a five-way tie for 14th. The team closed out its fall slate with a playoff victory over Seton Hall at the Georgetown Invitational. The tournament was contested at the par 72, 6,762 yard Lansdowne Resort course. For the second tournament in a row, Andy Latowski led the Lions, tying for third. Latowski shot74-75 for a 149 (+5). Matt Abbott and Jeff Turton tied with four other players for seventh.
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