Head men’s golf coach Brad James knew going into 2005-06 season began he had a veteran core of players returning to make a run at the Big Ten title and a berth in the NCAA Championships. He also knew the Gophers had come up a few shots short of their goals the last two seasons.

“For the first time since the 2003 season, we have veterans that have been through the battles and are tournament tested for the end of the season. I know we have the ability to challenge and win titles in April and May, but we need our veterans to step up and play to their capability.”

The Gophers will be led by two-time All-American Bronson La’Cassie. The junior from Brisbane, Australia, has earned Honorable Mention honors his freshman season and was named Third Team All-American by PING/GCAA last season as well as all-region and First Team All-Big Ten. His 72.11 stroke average in 2004-05 was the third-lowest mark in Gopher history.

La’Cassie is a remarkably consistent player who had four top 10s last season, and in 12 tournaments, he did not finish outside the top 20. Despite his metronome-type consistency, and his seven rounds in the 60s, he has not won a collegiate golf tournament. His best finish last year was a tie for fourth at the National Invitational Tournament. His 207 score at the NIT was the low tournament for the Gophers on the year and the best 54- hole score of his career. It was also the seventh-best 54-hole score in the program’s history.

“Bruno is our go-to guy,” James said. “He’s proven over the past two seasons he can play with anyone in the country. His titles will come, if he keeps putting himself in position to win tournaments, it will happen. If he’s in contention to win, it’s a good sign for the team because we’re usually in contention to win when he’s playing well.”

The Gophers two seniors, Josh Persons and Ryan Paulson, will be counted on to deliver their best performances during crunch time this season and anchor the Minnesota lineup this spring. Paulson has struggled with injury problems throughout his career. He only played in one tournament this fall due to a sprained wrist. Despite the injury, Paulson tied for 14th in the Gopher Invitational at 5-over 221. Last season, Pauslon’s best finish was a tie for 15th at the Puerto Rico Classic (214/-2). He had four rounds below par and 14 below 75.

Persons transferred from Kansas State before last season and stepped right into the Gopher lineup. He was named Second Team All-Big Ten in 2005 while recording two top -10 finishes. He tied for second at the Windon Memorial Classic after a career best 68 in the final round and tied for third at the Husky Invitational with a career-best 54-hole score of 214 (-2). Persons tied for 13th at the Big Ten Championships at even-par 216 after a 69 in the second round. He fired eight sub-par rounds in 2004-05. This past fall, Persons tied a career high with a second-place finish at the Gopher Invitational at Spring Hill Golf Club with an even-par 216 score.

“Ryan and Josh have all the ability to compete at the highest level of collegiate golf,” James said. “In their final year, we need them to use their experience and lead this team. They could be our X-factors. If they are both playing well, we have great depth in our lineup and we are tough to beat.”

Junior Niall Turner has elevated his play over the past six months to be a contender for medalist honors in every tournament. Earlier this season, the Cork, Ireland native won his first collegiate event with a 1-under 215 score at the Gopher Invitational besting his teammate Persons by a shot. He also finished in the top 10 at The Landfall tying for ninth (220/+4) after firing a career-low 67 in round one. His 72.5 stroke average was second on the team during the fall season and his 10 rounds below 75 led the squad.

In 2004-05, Turner played in 11 events and his game improved as the season went along. He was the Gophers’ top finisher at the Big Ten Championships tying for sixth at 4-under 212, a career best. Turner was fourth on the team with a 74.63 stroke average and he was second on the team with eight rounds below par.

“Niall gives us another player who can challenge for titles each and every tournament,” James said. “His game has improved as he’s become more comfortable and gained confidence since arriving here. He has a game that can compete nationally and internationally.”

The Gophers can also count on two more veteran players to contribute this season, redshirt sophomores Clayton Rask and Michael Fiedler. Rask played in six events as a true freshman in 2003-04 before redshirting last season. Rask played in three events this past fall and recorded a career high finish tying for 14th at the Big Ten/Pac 10 Challenge at 1- over 217. Fiedler played in two events as a redshirt freshman last season with his best finish a tie for 41st at the Husky Invitational. This past summer, Fiedler set the course record at the Faribault Country Club with a 61.

“Clayton and Mike have great ability and have shown flashes of what we hope to expect from both of them in the future,” James said. “But, it’s a little chicken-and-egg with them. We need to get them more tournament experience so they can improve, but we need their games to improve before we get them more tournament experience. They will definitely contribute to the lineup this season.”

James has four freshman, three redshirts and one true freshman that each saw their first collegiate action this fall. Datz, the South Carolina native, played in one event finishing tied for 46th at the Gopher Invitational. During the summer, Datz advanced to the Round of 16 at the South Carolina Match Play and tied for 40th at the South Carolina Men’s Amateur.

Andy Paulson (no relation to Ryan) also saw his first action at the Gopher Invite finishing 53rd. Paulson qualified for the United States Amateur and finished seventh at the State Amateur during the summer.

Stockholm, Sweden’s Victor Almstrom arrived in Gold Country for the 2005 spring semester, but did not see action until finishing tied for 38th in the Gopher Invitational. This past summer Almstrom finished 12th at U.S. Open Qualifying and was the runner-up to teammate Mike Fiedler at the Krugel Invitational. In addition he finished 21st at the Minnesota State Amateur.

True freshman Robbie Kelley played in two events this past fall finishing tied for 30th at the Gopher Invitational and tied for 50th at The Landfall. This past summer, Kelley finished third at the Minnesota State Amateur.

“All these freshmen have the talent to play at the collegiate level,” James said. “They will all have the opportunity to play their way into the lineup. We’re going to bring the best five golfers to every tournament this season regardless of how much experience they have or how old they are. We have confidence in all our guys because they’ve had to play very well to get into our top five. Our depth is something we’ve worked very hard on over the past few years and we feel any of our players can step into our lineup at any time and compete at the highest level.”

For difficulty, the Gopher schedule rivals any teams in the country. Minnesota travels the globe to play the top teams in the nation. The spring season begins in Puerto Rico in February and with two stops in Georgia and one in Arizona before returning to the Midwest for the Boilermaker and Fossum Invitational in April. The Big Ten Championships will be played at Conway Farms Golf Club in Lake Forest, Ill., one of the top courses in the Midwest and site of the 1997 NCAA Championships. The NCAA Championships are May 31-June 3 in Sunriver, Oregon.

“It’s another challenging schedule that will hopefully have us playing our best golf when it counts the most,” James said. “We had a quality start to our season with good results all fall and we were proud to win the inaugural Gopher Invitational at Spring Hill. We need to carry that success into our winter break, improve all spring and have the confidence to make putts. If we do that, we’ll have a fun year.” Head men’s golf coach Brad James knew going into 2005-06 season began he had a veteran core of players returning to make a run at the Big Ten title and a berth in the NCAA Championships. He also knew the Gophers had come up a few shots short of their goals the last two seasons.

“For the first time since the 2003 season, we have veterans that have been through the battles and are tournament tested for the end of the season. I know we have the ability to challenge and win titles in April and May, but we need our veterans to step up and play to their capability.”

The Gophers will be led by two-time All-American Bronson La’Cassie. The junior from Brisbane, Australia, has earned Honorable Mention honors his freshman season and was named Third Team All-American by PING/GCAA last season as well as all-region and First Team All-Big Ten. His 72.11 stroke average in 2004-05 was the third-lowest mark in Gopher history.

La’Cassie is a remarkably consistent player who had four top 10s last season, and in 12 tournaments, he did not finish outside the top 20. Despite his metronome-type consistency, and his seven rounds in the 60s, he has not won a collegiate golf tournament. His best finish last year was a tie for fourth at the National Invitational Tournament. His 207 score at the NIT was the low tournament for the Gophers on the year and the best 54- hole score of his career. It was also the seventh-best 54-hole score in the program’s history.

“Bruno is our go-to guy,” James said. “He’s proven over the past two seasons he can play with anyone in the country. His titles will come, if he keeps putting himself in position to win tournaments, it will happen. If he’s in contention to win, it’s a good sign for the team because we’re usually in contention to win when he’s playing well.”

The Gophers two seniors, Josh Persons and Ryan Paulson, will be counted on to deliver their best performances during crunch time this season and anchor the Minnesota lineup this spring. Paulson has struggled with injury problems throughout his career. He only played in one tournament this fall due to a sprained wrist. Despite the injury, Paulson tied for 14th in the Gopher Invitational at 5-over 221. Last season, Pauslon’s best finish was a tie for 15th at the Puerto Rico Classic (214/-2). He had four rounds below par and 14 below 75.

Persons transferred from Kansas State before last season and stepped right into the Gopher lineup. He was named Second Team All-Big Ten in 2005 while recording two top -10 finishes. He tied for second at the Windon Memorial Classic after a career best 68 in the final round and tied for third at the Husky Invitational with a career-best 54-hole score of 214 (-2). Persons tied for 13th at the Big Ten Championships at even-par 216 after a 69 in the second round. He fired eight sub-par rounds in 2004-05. This past fall, Persons tied a career high with a second-place finish at the Gopher Invitational at Spring Hill Golf Club with an even-par 216 score.

“Ryan and Josh have all the ability to compete at the highest level of collegiate golf,” James said. “In their final year, we need them to use their experience and lead this team. They could be our X-factors. If they are both playing well, we have great depth in our lineup and we are tough to beat.”

Junior Niall Turner has elevated his play over the past six months to be a contender for medalist honors in every tournament. Earlier this season, the Cork, Ireland native won his first collegiate event with a 1-under 215 score at the Gopher Invitational besting his teammate Persons by a shot. He also finished in the top 10 at The Landfall tying for ninth (220/+4) after firing a career-low 67 in round one. His 72.5 stroke average was second on the team during the fall season and his 10 rounds below 75 led the squad.

In 2004-05, Turner played in 11 events and his game improved as the season went along. He was the Gophers’ top finisher at the Big Ten Championships tying for sixth at 4-under 212, a career best. Turner was fourth on the team with a 74.63 stroke average and he was second on the team with eight rounds below par.

“Niall gives us another player who can challenge for titles each and every tournament,” James said. “His game has improved as he’s become more comfortable and gained confidence since arriving here. He has a game that can compete nationally and internationally.”

The Gophers can also count on two more veteran players to contribute this season, redshirt sophomores Clayton Rask and Michael Fiedler. Rask played in six events as a true freshman in 2003-04 before redshirting last season. Rask played in three events this past fall and recorded a career high finish tying for 14th at the Big Ten/Pac 10 Challenge at 1- over 217. Fiedler played in two events as a redshirt freshman last season with his best finish a tie for 41st at the Husky Invitational. This past summer, Fiedler set the course record at the Faribault Country Club with a 61.

“Clayton and Mike have great ability and have shown flashes of what we hope to expect from both of them in the future,” James said. “But, it’s a little chicken-and-egg with them. We need to get them more tournament experience so they can improve, but we need their games to improve before we get them more tournament experience. They will definitely contribute to the lineup this season.”

James has four freshman, three redshirts and one true freshman that each saw their first collegiate action this fall. Datz, the South Carolina native, played in one event finishing tied for 46th at the Gopher Invitational. During the summer, Datz advanced to the Round of 16 at the South Carolina Match Play and tied for 40th at the South Carolina Men’s Amateur.

Andy Paulson (no relation to Ryan) also saw his first action at the Gopher Invite finishing 53rd. Paulson qualified for the United States Amateur and finished seventh at the State Amateur during the summer.

Stockholm, Sweden’s Victor Almstrom arrived in Gold Country for the 2005 spring semester, but did not see action until finishing tied for 38th in the Gopher Invitational. This past summer Almstrom finished 12th at U.S. Open Qualifying and was the runner-up to teammate Mike Fiedler at the Krugel Invitational. In addition he finished 21st at the Minnesota State Amateur.

True freshman Robbie Kelley played in two events this past fall finishing tied for 30th at the Gopher Invitational and tied for 50th at The Landfall. This past summer, Kelley finished third at the Minnesota State Amateur.

“All these freshmen have the talent to play at the collegiate level,” James said. “They will all have the opportunity to play their way into the lineup. We’re going to bring the best five golfers to every tournament this season regardless of how much experience they have or how old they are. We have confidence in all our guys because they’ve had to play very well to get into our top five. Our depth is something we’ve worked very hard on over the past few years and we feel any of our players can step into our lineup at any time and compete at the highest level.”

For difficulty, the Gopher schedule rivals any teams in the country. Minnesota travels the globe to play the top teams in the nation. The spring season begins in Puerto Rico in February and with two stops in Georgia and one in Arizona before returning to the Midwest for the Boilermaker and Fossum Invitational in April. The Big Ten Championships will be played at Conway Farms Golf Club in Lake Forest, Ill., one of the top courses in the Midwest and site of the 1997 NCAA Championships. The NCAA Championships are May 31-June 3 in Sunriver, Oregon.

“It’s another challenging schedule that will hopefully have us playing our best golf when it counts the most,” James said. “We had a quality start to our season with good results all fall and we were proud to win the inaugural Gopher Invitational at Spring Hill. We need to carry that success into our winter break, improve all spring and have the confidence to make putts. If we do that, we’ll have a fun year.”