As the calendar turns from winter to spring, golf fans all across the country look forward to the annual playing of The Masters at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga.
For DePauw University's golfers, the changing of the seasons means that it is time for their annual trip to Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, Ind. for the Big Four Classic, which was held Tuesday.
The tournament carries so much weight, not only because it is hosted by Division I power Butler University, but also because of the course the competitors play on.
The course has hosted the BMW Championship, a PGA tour event. Crooked Stick also has a major championship pedigree as well. It played host to the 1991 PGA Championship and the U.S. Women's Open of 1993. This rich history was not lost the DePauw golfers.
"Any opportunity to play a course that is so widely known in the golf community is one that cannot be taken for granted," first-year Kenzlie Westerfield said in an email. "It is a privilege for our team to be invited to compete at Crooked Stick every year."
Senior Charlie Castino echoed Westerfield's sentiments.
"Crooked Stick is an amazing course with a lot of great history," Castino said. "It's always fun to play somewhere where the pros have played, to see where they hit famous shots and to compare your game to theirs."
This year's field included Hanover College, Wabash College, Franklin College, Butler, and the Tigers.
The DePauw men earned their 13th career win at the event as they finished five strokes ahead of second place Butler.
Castino certainly enjoyed his day at the event, as his one over par 73 was good enough to put him in a playoff with Butler's Andrew Eiler.
Eiler would go on to claim the individual crown as he defeated Castino on the first playoff hole.
"Losing in a playoff isn't really that big of deal," Castino said afterwards. "At the end of the day, I am proud to say I played well and our team won. That is what really matters."
This was only the second event of the spring season for the Tigers, and Castino is pleased with the way the team has thawed out after the cold winter.
"It has been difficult this year to shake the rust off because of the poor and sporadic weather we have had," Castino said. "However, guys put a lot of work in over spring break and it's paying off."
On the women's side, the Bulldogs of Butler held off the Tigers, as they went home with the overall team championship.
The Tigers finished 18 strokes behind the Bulldogs and a large 22 strokes in front of third place Hanover.
The Tigers were led by senior Kelsey Smith who fired a seven over par 79 that was good enough for an outright fourth place finish in the individual event.
DePauw will be back in action this weekend when they compete in the Illinois Wesleyan Spring Fling hosted by Illinois Wesleyan University.
"Competing on four of the last six days has helped us get into a tournament mindset," Westerfield said looking forward to this weekend.
The men will also be competing this weekend as they travel to Granville, Ohio for the Ted Barclay Invitational hosted by Denison University.