After a 28-year hiatus, Point Park University’s men’s golf team returned last season and Head Coach Gabe Bubon believes the team’s performance has met his.                 His star sophomore, Austin Elder, aspires to be a part of the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) Tour and not only competing against, but “beating Tiger Woods,” he said. In the less distant future, he sees himself competing for a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) national championship. “I’m going to win it,” Elder said. “I have no doubt that I’m going to go out there this year, …  make a serious run and compete to win the whole thing.” In the wake of their spring workouts, Bubon reflected on the past and predicted where the Pioneers will be in the future. He believes that the first step to the team’s success this year is to prepare. He said the team will work out anywhere from four to five times a week at their practice facility,  Robert Morris University’s Island Sports Complex, located on Neville Island in the Ohio River.”We have a solid group this year,” Bubon said. “I don’t have to worry about them putting the work in. These guys work hard. Every time they get the chance, they’re out hitting balls and [getting] their games together.”While Elder’s hopes are high, he still feels that the team is his family.”We get along [really] well,” Elder said. “We love going on the road and competing together. We’ve had some good times out there, and that obviously makes it easier for us to play as a team.” One of the first teams that the Pioneers will face is Malone University, a fellow member of the NAIA, that has a reputation for defeating off superior competition. “They’ve beaten National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA Division I) programs, who are big time, like Youngstown State University and other larger programs,” Elder said. “But we’re excited to be facing them so early and, to be honest, we like our chances.”Elder, a Warren, Ohio native, was an All-district, All-American and record-setting golfer at Warren Howland High School. He set the mark for the lowest score on a 9-hole course, shooting a 36 on a par three.Last year, he placed second in his final two tournaments, just falling to his freshman teammate James Daley in the last one. The experience he considered his most valuable as a college performer was when he shot a 7-under-par in a 3-day span during a tournament last season. Daley will head into his sophomore season with two career tournament wins. He believes that hard work, team work and confidence, are key components in winning.”Confidence might be the most important factor,” Daley said. “I think we are good enough to match up with anyone, including Malone.”His tournament wins came in the LaRoche Invitational on Sept. 28 and in the final one — the Grove City Invitational, where the Pioneers saw two of their top two golfers in that order in the standings.”We have practiced and still practice a whole lot,” Daley said. “When we’re having fun and playing smart, we’re at our best. It is very important to also focus on the mental aspect of the game – to study and make sure that, when the time comes, your mind is ready.”The team has added a transfer, as well. Alejandro Bernadini, a native of Cuernavaca Morelos, Mexico, is coming to Point Park from the University of South Carolina-Aiken. Daley expects Bernadini will contribute immediately. “I think he’s going to come in and help us do what we want to do this season,” he said.