The FGCU men's golf team fended off fierce challenges from multiple foes to hold onto second place after Tuesday's final round of the Fort Lauderdale Intercollegiate, which was held at the par-72, 6,861-yard Fort Lauderdale Country Club.
The Eagles seesawed back and forth from second to fourth all day long, battling alongside UConn and VCU for the runner-up position. The Green and Blue closed strong to come out on top, shooting 1-under as a team across the final six holes. The Huskies and Rams both shot 1-over on their final stretches of holes, with the final golfer on the course for UConn making double bogey on No. 18 to help FGCU finish solo second.
The Eagles ended their tournament at 1-under-par 863 (292-279-292), while UConn (288-286-291) and VCU (285-290-290) both landed at 1-over 865. Boston College settled into fifth at 6-over 870 (294-283-293). No. 23 USF – by far the highest-rated team in the field – won going away at 24-under 840 (276-280-284).
FGCU entered the tournament ranked No. 160 in the most-recent Golf Stat rankings and bested four teams slotted higher. On top of No. 128 UConn and No. 154 VCU, the Eagles defeated No. 102 Davidson (T-6, 875) and No. 151 Florida Atlantic (8, 877).
The Green and Blue led the field in par-3 scoring (-1) and was the only team to shoot under par in that category. They also led with 174 pars and was fifth with 43 birdies.
"Today was an exciting day playing in windy conditions with difficult pin placements. The guys really had to navigate shot selections and scramble to score," FGCU coach Eric Booker said. "We had solid performances from Andrew, Cole and Chase. Tate and J.T. struggled but know what they need to work on going forward."
Sophomore Cole Castro shot under par Tuesday to tie for fourth at 4-under 212 (75-66-71). His second-round 66 Monday was the low round of the tournament. He also shot 5-under on par-5's and 1-under on all the par-3's.
Senior Andrew Potter steadied into the finish line with a final round score of even par. He finished solo seventh at 3-under 213 (71-70-72). The senior was 3-under on the par-5's and 1-under on the par-3's.
True freshman Chase Bigham tied for 13th at 1-over 217 (74-71-72), and classmate Tate Heintzelman finished T-37 at 8-over 224 (74-72-78). Heintzelman led the field with 40 pars across the three rounds.
Sophomore J.T. Barker posted two qualifying scores in his first tournament with FGCU and tied for 49th at 12-over 228 (73-78-77).
USF's Albin Bergstrom went wire-to-wire to win medalist honors at 15-under 201 (67-66-68). Ian Peng of VCU finished second at 6-under 210 (69-71-70), while USF's Luke Gifford was third at 5-under 211 (68-70-73).
FORT LAUDERDALE INTERCOLLEGIATE – Final Results
March 4-5, 2019 at Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
(par-72, 6,861-yard Fort Lauderdale Country Club)
Team Results
1. #23 USF 276-280-284=840 (-24)
2. #160 FGCU 292-279-292=863 (-1)
T3. #128 UConn 288-286-291=865 (+1)
#154 VCU 285-290-290=865 (+1)
5. #174 Boston College 294-283-293=870 (+6)
T6. #194 Loyola-Maryland 282-293-300=875 (+11)
#102 Davidson 289-295-291=875 (+11)
8. #151 Florida Atlantic 294-285-298=877 (+13)
9. #196 Old Dominion 300-297-285=882 (+18)
10. #207 George Mason 296-296-309=901 (+37)
11. #253 Hartford 302-296-313=911 (+47)
12. #269 Villanova 312-302-313=927 (+63)
Rankings reflect the latest Golfstat Rankings
Top-5 Individuals
1. Albin Bergstrom (USF) 67-66-68=201 (-15)
2. Ian Peng (VCU) 69-71-70=210 (-6)
3. Luke Gifford (USF) 68-70-73=211 (-5)
T4. Matt Naumec (Boston College) 71-72-69=212 (-4)
Sully Zagerman (Florida Atlantic) 69-71-72=212 (-4)
Cole Castro (FGCU) 75-66-71=212 (-4)
FGCU Individuals
T4. Cole Castro 75-66-71=212 (-4)
7. Andrew Potter 71-70-72=213 (-3)
T13. Chase Bigham 74-71-72=217 (+1)
T37. Tate Heintzelman 74-72-78=224 (+8)
T49. J.T. Barker 73-78-77=228 (+12)
Up Next:
FGCU turns right back around to tackle the Pinehurst Intercollegiate March 8-10 in Pinehurst, North Carolina.
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