BY ED DUPREE
SALISBURY POST

MISENHEIMER — European golfers have found an American home at Pfeiffer University, helping the Falcons become a national power in the past 10 years.

Coach Dave Davis has four foreign golfers in his top five as the Falcons bid for their first national championship in the NCAA Division II Tournament at Grand Rapids, Mich., next Tuesday through Friday.

Englishman Ben Case, a junior who made All-America as a sophomore, when he ranked sixth in the nation, is a threat to win national individual honors.

“I think probably what makes him most special is he is better in competition than he is maybe on a normal day,” said Davis. “That’s very rare in college golf. A lot of kids can go out there and shoot numbers when it doesn’t count. He’s always stepped up, especially in big tournaments. He’s been our leader in the regional and nationals every year.”

Case, last week’s South Regional runner-up, would rather talk about the team than his personal ambitions.

“Every player on the team can win it individually. It all depends on the day, how you play,” he said. “I’m very excited. When we went to the nationals last time (1999), it was more to go and have a holiday and a bit of fun. Now we’ve got the players and definitely have got a good chance of winning it, I hope.

The other members of the Falcons’ top five are Luke Poulter and Ben St. John of England, Andrew McArthur of Scotland, and Doug Delaney of Mount Carmel, Pa.

“Over the past three tournaments, we’ve started to play how we should play. Before that, we just didn’t have any confidence as a team,” said Case.

The Falcons have won three straight tournaments, including the South Regional against a strong field, and head to Michigan as a title contender. Pfeiffer, in 1998 and 1999, qualified for the nationals by finishing seventh and sixth, respectively, in the regional. The top seven teams advance. The Falcons finished 10th three years ago and ninth in 1999. This time the Falcons go to the national event as the top seed out of the toughest region.

“The nationals are basically just about as good as it gets,” said McArthur, a sophomore. “Going there with a chance of winning is brilliant. It is the highlight of our year, and hopefully we can come back as champions. I think we all know that we’ve got a chance if we can live up to expectations.”

He added that Davis gave his golfers the formula for winning the national championship last week.

“Coach told us at the regional if we all go and try to win as individuals, that’s the best we can do for the team,” said McArthur.

The European flavor at Pfeiffer is nothing new. Steven Armstrong, a Scot, won the NAIA national individual title in 1995. Davis, also Pfeiffer’s men’s basketball coach, found out about Armstrong through a basketball connection when Davis was an assistant at Pfeiffer.

Later, Pfeiffer recruited Mark Side, who has since won the English stroke play championship and is playing on the Canadian PGA Tour.

Stuart Tatters, an Englishman, came a couple of years later and was a three-time All-American.

“Basically, from those three guys — Armstrong, Side and Tatters — Pfeiffer golf has spread throughout England and Scotland and gotten to be a pretty good name. Those guys have done an excellent job of helping me make contacts over there and suggesting players. We’ve had a half dozen players come since that time that have made a major impact on our program,” explained Davis.

Russ Jones, who is from England, is being redshirted this year. Jones, who went to the nationals with the Falcons as a freshman two years ago, will be ready to play again next season, as will incoming freshman Jordan Stelmach, another Englishman.

Pfeiffer has also had two Swedish players, including two-time Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference Player of the Year Peter Astrom, an academic All-American.

The European players have various reasons for coming to Pfeiffer, but a major one is the opportunity to play the Old North State Club at Uwharrie Point,the Falcons’ home course. The course ranks second in the state to Pinehurst No. 2.

“The Old North State Club was the main reason,” said Case. “A friend of mine also went to Pfeiffer — Scott Stanley. He went here and his golf improved from scratch to a plus 3 in one semester. He said, ‘If you want to improve your game, then go out there.’”

McArthur said, “I was just looking to come to one of the top schools in Division II, because you’ve got a lot of foreign students at Division II schools. I spoke to a couple of boys before I came over. Coach was telling me all about the courses. It sounded like a good package.”

The Pfeiffer golfers also get the opportunity to work with Davis’ assistant coach, former PGA and Senior PGA Tour golfer Johnny Palmer, who once finished second in the PGA.

The team’s only American in the top five, Delaney, came to Pfeiffer to get away from Pennsylvania weather. He also had to get used to playing with Europeans.

“As soon as I came in,I was surrounded by Europeans. I’m pretty much used to it now. It’s been really a learning experience, because they’re such good players,” he said.

Delaney takes a little ribbing from his European teammates about being an American, but quips, “They consider me half European anyway, because I’ve been around so long.I don’t know what country I’m from. I don’t want to ask that.”

Delaney, credited by Davis as being the team’s hardest worker, is ready for his first taste of national competition.

“I’ve been fighting my way to get to the nationals the last three years. This is just the icing on the cake,” he said.

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Contact Ed Dupree at 704-797-4258 or edupree@salisburypost.com .