“It’s time to build our confidence up. We are trying to create our own identity to position ourselves for the postseason,” Puryear said.

Their first and only home meet couldn’t have come at a better time for the Spartans, as they are looking to finish the regular season strong and get the ball rolling into the Big Ten Tournament, which begins next weekend.

“It’s great to play at home in front of friends and family this weekend, but I’m looking at it as a stepping stone to help us prepare for Big Ten Tournament,” Puryear said. “I’m looking for that one week where all of these guys gel.”

After junior Jack Newman competed in the Masters two weeks ago, Puryear is counting on him to continue his streak of solid play.

But Puryear also is depending on the rest of the Spartans to earn the win through a competitive field of nine opposing teams.

“Jack’s our true natural leader and it’s exciting to watch him right now,” Puryear said.

“We have to be at a point where five guys are playing well, not just one.”

Home course advantage

The Spartans have spent countless hours playing on Forest Akers West Golf Course— the course where this weekend’s tournament will be held.

They have explored every nook and cranny, practiced shots from every position on the course and feel comfortable attacking the greens from any angle.

“We know where to hit the ball,” Newman said.

“We know the pin positions and we will be able to practice with those for a couple days. I think we will have a big
advantage and I think it will show.”

An area where the Spartans are expecting to have the biggest advantage is on the greens where the speed has drastically increased recently.

“The greens have definitely sped up the past couple days, but I think that will work to our advantage,” sophomore Payne Gniewek said.

Fine tuning the short game

The Spartans are having no trouble finding the fairways off the tee and through their mid-irons.

But an area of concern for Puryear has been his team’s short game. He said if the Spartans are going to make a deep run in the postseason, they are going to need to be more consistent from in close to the hole.

“We lead the country in fairways hit,” Puryear said. “If our short game matches up to our off-the-tee game, then we are an awfully good team.”

Sophomore Graham Baillargeon is expecting the team’s extra work on the short game to translate into a victory this weekend.

“We won’t be happy with anything other than a win,” Baillargeon said.

“It’s our home course so there’s no excuses.”