INDIAN GOLFERS ENJOY STRONG SEASON DESPITE KEY LOSSES

Southeast Missouri State University golf coach Carroll Williams believes his team has a shot at winning the Ohio Valley Conference championship -- but Williams can't help but think about what might have been.

The Indians finished second in last year's OVC meet and expected to return most of their key players.

But Ryan Smith, second in the 1999 OVC Tournament, decided not to return to school, instead turning professional to compete on a low-level tour in Florida. And Ryan Jacques became academically ineligible.

So instead of returning their 1999 lineup virtually intact, Williams had to rely on some younger players to fill key positions. Not that they haven't done a respectable job, but there has certainly been a dropoff.

"I really think we would have been one of the top teams in the Midwest if everybody had come back (from last season)," said Williams. "But those things happen."

The Indians have still had a solid season and Williams has hopes of a high finish during the OVC Tournament, which will be played Monday and Tuesday at the Tennessean Golf Course in Paris, Tenn.

"We've got a shot, but we'll have to play well to do it," said Williams regarding his team's prospects of capturing the OVC title. "We can't play anything less than our best and have a shot."

According to Williams, Middle Tennessee which will join the Sun Belt Conference next year and is competing in its last OVC competition is the heavy favorite to capture the title.

"From what I can understand, Middle Tennessee is the best team in the conference," Williams said. "They've done really well in some big events and they look really strong."

But after Middle Tennessee, Williams believes things are wide open, with Southeast figuring to contend for a high finish.

"After Middle Tennessee, it will probably come down to the last nine holes Tuesday and whoever does well," said Williams. "We could win it, but like I said, we'd have to play really, really well."

The Indian are led by freshman David Fulton and senior Jason Owen, who both qualified for the U.S. Amateur last August.

Fulton leads Southeast and ranks eighth in the OVC with a 75.4 average. Owen, the Indians' only senior who tied for fifth in last year's OVC Tournament, is second on the squad and 14th in the league with a 75.9 average.

Sophomore Bryan Johnson is 17th in the OVC with a 76.2 average.

While the Indians' top three golfers have been fairly solid for much of the season, the next few spots have fluctuated, according to Williams, with a variety of players in the mix.

For the OVC Tournament, each school is allowed to play five golfers, with the top four scores from each day counting. A pair of freshman, Jackson High product John Litzelfelner and Woody Hill, will round out the Indians' lineup for the league tourney.

"Our top three have done a good job," said Williams. "We've been searching for the fourth and fifth players and we know they're going to be important if we want to do well (in the league tourney)."