PHILADELPHIA - The La Salle golf team, coming off its best fall season in recent memory, will open up its spring campaign on Monday at the Davidson Invitational. The Explorers boast an experienced squad, led by seniors Mike Johnson, Tyler Fewell and Tom Horgan and will look to finish the season strong at the Atlantic 10 Championship at TPC Tampa Bay.
 
"It was a really good fall for us," head coach Brad Kane said. "We moved up in the national rankings pretty significantly after the fall season. It was a successful season for us and the spring has the potential to be a really good one for us."
 
"We really think we can finish in the top half of the Atlantic 10, which would be the first time in a long time, if ever," Kane said.
 
Kane will lean on Johnson and Fewell to anchor the lineup. Johnson has been a mainstay at the #1 spot in the lineup during his four years at La Salle and deservedly so. He boasted a 73.9 stroke/average in the fall, shooting a low of 70 and posting three rounds of par or better. His career average is 75.2.
 
Fewell shot a low of 71 this fall while averaging 76.5 strokes per round. He appeared in all but two rounds during the fall season. Horgan is another veteran player who will look to crack the top five this spring.
 
"Our seniors have been great," Kane said. "I really lean on them a lot. I'll be sad to see them go."
 
Junior Greg Goodreds had a breakout season, dropping his stroke average over four strokes to a career-best 74.8. He shot a collegiate low of 72 on his way to an eighth place finish at Seton Hall and appeared in all 13 rounds for the Explorers.
 
"Greg has really come on this year," Kane said. "He's really slid into that two, three spot in the lineup."
 
Red-shirt sophomore Justin Smith and freshman Joe Markmann will complete the top five traveling to Davidson on Monday. Smith also showed significant improvement from his career average, going three strokes lower to a career-low 76.2.
 
Markmann had a strong freshman start, averaging 77.6 strokes per round. Another Explorer, Mike Kelley, will compete for playing time while sophomore P.J. Acierno plans on redshirting this season.
 
"Justin has shown some flashes," Kane said. "I'm thinking that will continue. Joe Markmann has done a really great job. He plays more golf than anyone I've ever met."
 
La Salle will embark on its most competitive schedule, beginning with Davidson. The opening slate includes several top ranked teams.
 
 
The Explorers will return home to host the La Salle Invitational on March 23-24 at Huntingdon Valley CC before staying local at the Villanova Wildcat Invitaitonal on March 31-April 1. A trip to Penn State on April 19-20 will serve as preparation for the A-10 Championships on April 25-27.
 
La Salle will be playing with a heavy heart this season for sophomore teammate Morgan Dougherty, who passed away in November. The Explorers will be playing this season in his memory.
 
"It's so much more of an advanced program that it was a year ago," Kane said. "We're really a program on the way up.