It was unseasonably cold at the beginning of this week. Unfortunately, I’m talking about more than the weather. I’m talking about SLU’s golf game.

The Saint Louis University golf team battled the wind and the chilly weather on Monday and Tuesday, as they posted a less-than-pleasing 14th-place finish in their own Billiken Invitational at Gateway National Golf Links in Madison, Ill.

“We would have liked to play better. Obviously, we played below our potential. We have had trouble all year when it is windy or cold outside. I was disappointed in how we played. I was hoping we would have more guys with higher scores. It was a battle though. Gateway is a tough course,” said coach Ed Schwent.

There was a silver lining for the Billikens, however. Senior Josh Phillips was the lone SLU golfer in the top-10 of the Billiken Invitational.

The Belleville, Ill. native shot rounds of 76 and 73, earning himself a tie for sixth overall. Junior Justin Haupt shot a final round of 73 for the Bills, which was good enough to share an 18th place finish. Sophomore walk-on Mike Higgason also caught the eye of Schwent after shooting a first-round 74.

“Josh Phillips did a great job for us on Monday and Tuesday. He has really been playing well, and it has earned him a trip to the conference tournament,”Schwent said.

“Haupt also played a strong round on Tuesday. It was encouraging to see them, as well as Higgason put together rounds like that, especially with the weather conditions as they were,” Schwent said.

The rest of the squad couldn’t get their top game going, despite the home-course advantage. Junior Scott Fann shot rounds of 76 and 78 for a tie of 31st place.

Sophomore Adam Trower shot a second-round 78, to tie for 46th, while junior Mark Wacker finished in a tie for 66th with a two-round score of 161.

But there is no concrete explanation for the performance at the Billiken Invitational, according to Schwent.

“Maybe we expected to do really well. In the tournament before we had one of our best outings. But at Gateway, we lost to teams that we have seen and played well against earlier this year. If only we would have played like we did at Belmont,” Schwent said.

It was at the Belmont Invitational, which took place early last week, in Franklin, Tenn. that the Billikens put together a strong team performance that earned them a 9th-place finish. According to Schwent, the team’s play at Belmont was an encouraging effort. Fann posted three strong scores of 70, 75 and 77 before the Bills returned for the less-than-springtime weather of St. Louis.

Perhaps the most encouraging aspect of Belmont was the play of sophomore newcomer Sean Normile.

The former DeSmet Spartan became only the 10th golfer in school history to shoot an under-70 round. Normile shot a 69 in the opening round, as he finished in a tie for 12th place with a three-round score of 218, 10th best in school history. The team’s overall score of 880 was the fifth best in Billiken history.

“I hit the ball well and was able to make a good amount of pars and birdies while I kept myself out of trouble.

“I stayed consistent and avoided big numbers. It gives me confidence to know that I can compete at a high level when I am striking the ball well,” said Normile.

The Billikens will cap off their season at the Conference-USA tournament in Navarre, Fl.

The three-round tournament begins Monday, April 23 and runs through April 25. Five SLU players will compete in the tournament: Fann, Trower, Haupt, Phillips and junior Andy Poe will represent the Billiken squad in Navarre.

“We hope to put this week behind us and take our confidence into the conference tournament.

“We have a chance to do well down there. If we play really well, and our five players put together their best games, then we can win in Florida,” Schwent said.

“UAB and Houston are the top teams historically in our conference, but I believe we can post some strong numbers against them. We really want that automatic bid to the NCAA tournament,” Schwent said.

Hopefully, the Billikens will warm up along with the weather, as spring comes in full effect and conference play is just around the corner.