FGCU Men's Golf: FAU Invite Recap

After beginning with a fifth place finish on day one and falling behind tied for seventh on day two, the FGCU men’s golf team managed to claim a sixth place finish out 19 teams, and a final round score of 279 on day three at the FAU Slomin Autism Invitational.

The Eagles' 279 performance is tied for the 12th-best in program history, and equals the 4th-best final round all-time. The Eagles finished one shot behind Georgetown and 13 shots behind runner-up U-Conn. The eventual winner of the invitational was NCAA DII #6 Lynn University.

"Today was a nice bounce-back performance from the previous two days," said FGCU head coach Eric Booker. "The team had something to prove to themselves and they did that in the final round. We're still trending in the right direction, and I'm very proud of this round today. We'll continue the process of understanding the playing strategy and implementing."

Junior Andrew Potter tied for 6th overall out of 113 golfers. Potter signed for a final-round 69 to finish the 54-hole event with a 210 total (-6). His final-round 69 was matched by senior Grant Renegar. Renegar tied for 17th after breaking par for the first time on the weekend following a pair of even-par 72 performances on Friday and Saturday to record a 213 total (-3).

All four of FGCU's counting scores were below par on the day as freshman Cole Castro shot a 2-under 70 and sophomore Doug Smith signed for a 1-under 71. Castro tied for 30th overall with a 217 total, while sophomore Smith finished one shot back at 218.

Senior Michael Keymont bounced back from a tough two rounds with a 73 on Sunday while sophomore Brent Fredericksen, who played in the tournament as an Individual, recorded a final-round 72 after bouncing back from a 4-over start through his first seven holes to finish at even par.

Next up, the Eagles will wrap up their regular season across the country at Loyola Marymount's Geiberger Invitational Apr. 9-10 in Palm Springs, California before preparing for the A-SUN Conference Championship in Braselton, Georgia.

FAU Slomin Autism Invitational Competing Teams (# Golfstat Ranking)
1) #6 (D-II) Lynn: 281-273-272: 826
2) #141 Connecticut: 273-285-287: 845
3) #143 Jacksonville State: 290-279-281: 850
4) #195 Houston Baptist: 282-283-286: 851
5) #170 Georgetown: 285-296-276: 857
6) #178 FGCU: 287-292-279: 858
7) #138 Oakland: 292-287-281: 860
8) #224 Hartford: 289-288-289: 866
9) #191 Bethune-Cookman: 288-287-293: 868
10) #157 FAU: 291-291-288: 870
11) #216 DePaul: 298-292-286: 876
12) #180 North Dakota State: 298-299-281: 878
13) #237 Murray State: 293-288-300: 881
14) #257 Monmouth: 298-292-293: 883
15) #247 Stetson: 289-303-292: 884
16) #278 Manhattan: 299-304-291: 894
17) #277 Hofstra: 297-306-295: 898
18) #214 Morehead State: 306-301-293: 900
19) #283 Canisius: 307-307-301: 915

Quotes From Other Coaches:
Monmouth: "Our team was very consistent throughout the tournament.  It certainly was a very good start to our spring season and I am very pleased with the team's performance this weekend," said head coach Dennis Shea

Morehead State: "I'm extremely proud of Tyler's performance this week," said head coach Matthew Martin. "He took absolute advantage of an opportunity. I was thrilled for him over the course of the tournament."

"As a team, we've got to put our heads down and get to work," Martin said. "We need to be playing our best a month from now (at the Ohio Valley Conference Championship on April 23). We're still in position to improve."