Men's Golf | 2/15/2017 10:29:00 AM

Live scoring for Gator Invitational

STATESBORO, Ga. - There were plenty of highlights for the Georgia Southern men's golf program in its fall season – a team round of 279, lower than any team score last season, five individual scores in the 60s, two top-10 team finishes and two top-10 individual finishes.

That's not too shabby when you consider that two juniors, a sophomore and three freshmen made up the lineup for a majority of the events. Overall, the Eagles were more consistent from top to bottom and from tournament to tournament than the previous fall. 

There is plenty of room for growth and progress, and that is what head coach Carter Collins has his sights on. He points to the final round of the tournament in Hawaii when the Eagles struggled in the third round, as a teaching moment for his young squad. Georgia Southern was second after the first round and fighting for a top-5 finish after the second. 

"As tough as it was, it's a very important part of the process of learning and improving," said Collins. "If you take a good, honest look at what you could have done better during that tough situation, then you've gotten better. That's what will help us in the spring.  Going through tough times and getting stronger from them."

Pushing through that adversity has already paid dividends in an individual tournament the Eagles hosted at the Georgia Southern University Course a week ago. Jake Storey won medalist honors, while Brett Barron and Cody O'Toole placed in the top-5, and eight of the nine Eagles who competed in the tournament placed in the top-20 of the 44-man field. 

Getting that kind of depth consistency from the lineup is a key in allowing the Eagles to take a big step forward this spring. Better fourth scores and the fifth scores, which is dropped each round, means the top-3 scores are pretty darn good. 

"For us to reach our potential as a team, that No. 4 score has to improve, and our drop score has to be lower," said Collins. "We are looking forward to continuing our progress in these areas, building towards the end of the season while competing and testing ourselves throughout this spring season." 

It also means that the fourth and fifth man, who probably had to qualify for that week's tournament, are pushing the top-3 guys to be mainstays in the lineup. That is how a good team can become a great team. For the Eagles, the fourth, fifth and sixth-best scoring averages in the fall were all held by freshmen, and their numbers are all better than the fourth, fifth and sixth best scoring averages last season.

"That bodes well for us in the spring," said Collins. "It gives us a great chance to be successful because we have consistency, lower stroke averages in that area, and that's going to push those guys in the top to be even better. If they want to stay up there, they're going to have to play better golf."

The first three tournaments of the spring will be three of the Eagles' toughest events all season, starting with the Gator Invitational this weekend. The tournament is a rite of spring for the Eagles, who have played in 16 straight Gator Invitationals, dating back to 2001.

"The Gator field is one of the best fields in the country during this time of year," said Collins. "It's an exciting opportunity for us to compete against so many post-season caliber teams on a course we have experience on."

Collins hopes his team can continue their progress they made through the winter break and gain momentum heading into the Sun Belt Championships. The opening stretch includes the Schenkel Invitational, Georgia Southern's home tournament at Forest Heights Country Club March 17-19. Annually one of the best tournaments in college golf, the 2017 Schenkel has another great field.

"The three things that draw teams to the Schenkel and make it one of the most unique and attractive events in the country is the overwhelming community hospitality/support, the strength of the field, and Forest Heights Country Club," said Collins. "Forest Heights is a unique golf course that has that Augusta topography and landscape to it.  Although you need to make birdies to be competitive, it has some difficulty on the greens and that makes it a good test every day."

The spring season culminates in Destin, Fla., in the Sun Belt Championship at Raven Golf Club for the third straight year. The Eagles made a lasting memory there in Collins' first season as head coach, where the Eagles captured the 2015 Sun Belt Championship by 16 shots. The change Georgia Southern has to make to be in the title hunt in 2017? Without hesitation, Collins says driver accuracy.

"Consistency off the tee – everything starts there – that's what we'll be focused on for the Sun Belt," said Collins. "Obviously, we'll be working on everything, but the five guys who are going to that tournament will be hitting it straight. That will give us a great chance to win that event."

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