The Journal

Issue date: 10/12/06 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Ashley Gieseking Sophomore Allen Heeger hits a shot from the tee box at the Maryville Fall Invitational at Aberbeen Golf Course Oct. 9.

The Webster golf team put together its finest performance of the season - and it wasn't even on the golf course.

The golf team joined forces with the Webster women's basketball team Oct. 4 to help an arts and environmental organization in St. Louis known as The Green Center. The teams' efforts were their contribution to Webster Works Worldwide - the university's annual campus-wide community service day.

The Green Center is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to preserving ecosystems and educating people about nature. The organization features various outdoor spaces open to the public, including a 26-acre forest known as the Ruth Park Woods.

The two teams did their part by helping The Green Center with landscaping projects - removing leaves, fallen branches and other debris from the area. It was an experience Webster's Associate Golf Coach Andrew Belsky called a good feeling.

"I feel like most of us have opportunities other people don't," Belsky said. "It felt like we were giving something back to the community."

Sophomore Allen Heeger also believed the golf team's hard work was beneficial to the team.

"It was a good thing to do as a group," Heeger said. "I think we helped The Green Center out a lot."

After finishing work off the course, the golf team had unfinished business on the course. Struggling to find consistency all season, the Gorloks went into the Maryville Fall Invitational Oct. 8 and 9 hoping to rectify the situation.

The team did so by shooting a season low of 304. It was a performance Belsky labeled as the team's best overall performance of the year, despite the team finishing in fifth place out of 10 teams.

"We finally shot the scores we're capable of shooting all the time," Belsky said. "We finally got comfortable."

Heeger led the way for the Gorloks with a score of 149, while juniors Alan Ahlering and Scott Hargis both shot 157. The two-day par for the tournament was 144.

"I hit a lot of fairways, hit a lot of greens and made a couple of putts," Heeger said. "It made things a lot easier."

Like the rest of the team, Heeger has had difficulty finding rhythm this season. Heeger said he's been hitting the ball well off the tee, but admits to having difficulty sinking putts and executing in key situations. However, those problems didn't re-surface in the tournament.

"It felt like things just fell into place," Heeger said.

The Maryville Fall Invitational essentially ends the first half of the season for the Webster golf team. While the team does play in the Hannibal-LaGrange Fall Men's Golf Meet in Hannibal, Mo., Oct. 11, Belsky said the event is more of a junior varsity tournament. However, when the team does returns spring 2007, the players know thy have to be consistent if the team is going to capture the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title.

"As a whole, the team didn't do as well as we would've liked," Heeger said. "I definitely think we are capable of doing better."

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