Saturday, February 15
Gainesville, Fla.
9 a.m.
Georgia Southern University
at
Gator Invitational
Will Evans led the team with a 72.60 scoring average in the fall.
MGOLF: Eagles Open Spring at SunTrust Gator Invitational
2/14/2014 8:22:00 PM | Men's Golf
STATESBORO, Ga. – For the 13th straight year, Georgia Southern will open its spring campaign at the SunTrust Gator Invitational, hosted by the University of Florida, this weekend.
The teams will play 36 holes Saturday and the final 18 Sunday, and the Eagles tee off at 8 a.m. Saturday. It's a field of 14 that features five teams ranked in the top-25 in the Golf World/Nike Coaches Poll in Arkansas (23), Florida State (22), UAB (11), Central Florida (8) and Vanderbilt (21).
Last year, the Eagles entered the spring with three tournament victories under their belt and in great position for an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships, the 21st in program history. The Eagles do not have the same amount of hardware as last year, but head coach Larry Mays feels they are still in line for a tourney berth.
"We played a stronger schedule than last fall so our strength of schedule is good," said Mays. "We're over .500 and in the top-60 so we're 7 or 8 spots in."
In order to maintain that place, the Eagles will have to take care of business in the spring. Georgia Southern had some solid individual play in the fall but is looking to put it all together as a team.
"We didn't get everybody playing well at the same time," said Mays. "We'd have two or three solid scores and couldn't get the fourth. Our goal for the spring is to be in the top-5 of every tournament. We're playing in a lot of good tournaments so if we can do that and pick up a signature finish we'll be in good shape."
The Eagles will start seniors Will Evans and Hayden Anderson this weekend along with juniors Scott Wolfes, Kim Koivu and Charlie Martin. Junior Matthew Mierzejewski will play as an individual.
"We don't need anything special; they all just have to do their job," said Mays. "We have an experienced lineup with two seniors and three juniors. We'll look to our seniors to lead us."
Evans led the squad with a 72.60 average, posted two top-5 outings and placed in the top-25 in four tournaments. He tied for second at the Fighting Irish Collegiate Classic and tied for third at the Shoal Creek Intercollegiate. Anderson earned a spot in the lineup for the last two tournaments and posted a 76.33 stroke average.
Wolfes notched a 73.33 scoring average and finished with a flurry in his final three outings, placing in the top-20 in all three. He also earned a top-30 finish in the Jones Cup, one of the top amateur tournaments in the world, in early February.
Koivu started the season well, tying for 16th at the Fighting Irish Collegiate Classic with a 216. He finished with a 75.42 scoring average. Martin had two top-25 outings and posted a 74.25 scoring average.
Mierzejewski played in two tourneys in the fall, both as an individual, and tied for 23rd at the Eagle/Osprey Intercollegiate.
An automatic bid to the NCAA Championships will also be on the line at the Southern Conference Tournament, April 20-22, at National Golf Club in Pinehurst, N.C.
"Hopefully, everybody will play just a little bit more consistent so we can have those good rounds every round," said Wolfes.
The teams will play 36 holes Saturday and the final 18 Sunday, and the Eagles tee off at 8 a.m. Saturday. It's a field of 14 that features five teams ranked in the top-25 in the Golf World/Nike Coaches Poll in Arkansas (23), Florida State (22), UAB (11), Central Florida (8) and Vanderbilt (21).
Last year, the Eagles entered the spring with three tournament victories under their belt and in great position for an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships, the 21st in program history. The Eagles do not have the same amount of hardware as last year, but head coach Larry Mays feels they are still in line for a tourney berth.
"We played a stronger schedule than last fall so our strength of schedule is good," said Mays. "We're over .500 and in the top-60 so we're 7 or 8 spots in."
In order to maintain that place, the Eagles will have to take care of business in the spring. Georgia Southern had some solid individual play in the fall but is looking to put it all together as a team.
"We didn't get everybody playing well at the same time," said Mays. "We'd have two or three solid scores and couldn't get the fourth. Our goal for the spring is to be in the top-5 of every tournament. We're playing in a lot of good tournaments so if we can do that and pick up a signature finish we'll be in good shape."
The Eagles will start seniors Will Evans and Hayden Anderson this weekend along with juniors Scott Wolfes, Kim Koivu and Charlie Martin. Junior Matthew Mierzejewski will play as an individual.
"We don't need anything special; they all just have to do their job," said Mays. "We have an experienced lineup with two seniors and three juniors. We'll look to our seniors to lead us."
Evans led the squad with a 72.60 average, posted two top-5 outings and placed in the top-25 in four tournaments. He tied for second at the Fighting Irish Collegiate Classic and tied for third at the Shoal Creek Intercollegiate. Anderson earned a spot in the lineup for the last two tournaments and posted a 76.33 stroke average.
Wolfes notched a 73.33 scoring average and finished with a flurry in his final three outings, placing in the top-20 in all three. He also earned a top-30 finish in the Jones Cup, one of the top amateur tournaments in the world, in early February.
Koivu started the season well, tying for 16th at the Fighting Irish Collegiate Classic with a 216. He finished with a 75.42 scoring average. Martin had two top-25 outings and posted a 74.25 scoring average.
Mierzejewski played in two tourneys in the fall, both as an individual, and tied for 23rd at the Eagle/Osprey Intercollegiate.
An automatic bid to the NCAA Championships will also be on the line at the Southern Conference Tournament, April 20-22, at National Golf Club in Pinehurst, N.C.
"Hopefully, everybody will play just a little bit more consistent so we can have those good rounds every round," said Wolfes.
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