RESULTS
HOWEY-IN-THE-HILLS, Fla. – The No. 1 Nova Southeastern men’s golf team has advanced to the NCAA National Championship for the second consecutive year after a phenomenal final round propelled them to the top spot at the NCAA South/Southeast Regional, with their top two golfers finished atop the individual leaderboard.
The Sharks shot a 4-under-par 284 for the second consecutive round, giving them a three-round total of 855, putting them at 9-under-par (287-284-284). The team also made their presence known on the individual leaderboard, placing four golfers in the top 10, including individual and runner-up honors.
Benjamin Taylor (Jr., Leatherhead, England) and
Ricardo Celia (Jr., Barranquilla, Columbia) battled each other for the top spot the entire tournament with Taylor coming out on top and defeating teammate Celia by only one stroke.
Taylor carded a 3-under 69 on the day to go 6-under for the tournament at 210 (70-71-69), grabbing the individual crown, while Celia carded a 2-under 70 Wednesday to capture second, carding a 5-under 211 (69-72-70).
With the South/Southeast region being filled with some of the premier Division II teams in the country, including seven nationally-ranked in the top 10, seven teams are awarded bids to the NCAA Tournament. But it was NSU that captured the top spot out of the 20-team field and have earned their place to defend their national title.
The team captured victory by 16 strokes over second-place Barry, who shot a 7-over total of 871 (284-296-299). The remaining five national qualifiers are: Columbus State, 23-over (298-298-291—887), who took a share of third with Florida Southern (293-295-299—887); Lynn, 25-over (288-306-295—889); West Florida, 26-over (298-298-294—890); and South Carolina-Aiken, who took claim of the final team spot with a score of 27-over (295-303-293—891).
Individually for NSU,
Mitch Farrer (Jr., West Sussex, England) was next, just below Taylor and Celia. He captured a share of fourth, carding a 2-under 70 for the day and a 1-under 215 for the tournament (74-71-70). His 215 total is his second-best performance of the year, missing his lowest mark by only one stroke
The fourth Shark in the top 10 was
Hunter O'Mahony (Fr., Jupiter, Fla.), his sixth individual top-10 finish of the season. He shot a 3-over on the day and carded a 3-over 219 (74-70-75) for the tournament, capturing a share of eighth.
Finishing out the tournament for the Sharks was
Ian Facey (So., Miami, Fla.), who put together three solid rounds, shooting a 12-over 228 (78-72-78). Facey, who carded a 6-over 78 on the final day. finished with a share of 52nd on the leaderboard.
The Sharks accomplished more than what was required to advance to the NCAA Championships, held at The Hershey Country Club in Hershey, Pa., May 20-24. The Sharks will continue to carry a target on their back as they defend their national title in hopes of capturing their second consecutive crown.
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