LAKELAND, Fla. – Although inconsistent from an individual standpoint, the 13^th-ranked Nova Southeastern men's golf team collectively pieced together a pair of steady rounds on Monday to jump out to a fifth-place start at the Matlock Collegiate Classic, hosted by Florida Southern.

INSIDE THE TOURNAMENT:
Tournament Standing: 5th of 14 teams
Tournament Leader: West Florida
Location: Lone Palm Golf Club | Lakeland, Fla.
Par/Yardage: 72/7,065
Get Social: Twitter - @NSU_MGolf | Instagram - @NSU_MGolf | Facebook - /NSUGolfTeam

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• NSU trimmed four shots off its round-one effort of (+17) 305, following up with a (+13) 301 in the second round to enter the clubhouse in sole possession of fifth at 30-over par. The Sharks are currently sandwiched between No. 1 Lynn (+21) and No. 5 Saint Leo (+32).
• No. 3 West Florida (E) dominated the field on Monday, opening up with a 17-shot lead over both No. 10 Barry and No. 17 Limestone.
• Freshmen duo Joseba Torres and Javier Calles began the morning a bit shaky in round one. However, the two each enjoyed much more pleasant second rounds to climb back into the Top-20 in a tie for 11^th and a tie for 19^th, respectively.
• Keyed by an eagle on the Par-5 2^nd, along with 13 pars, Torres overcame a (+5) 77 to start by posting an even-par 72 in the afternoon. The improvement shot him up 21 spots on the leaderboard.
• Despite a (+6) 78 in round one, Calles drained a pair of birdies over his final five holes in round two to close with a (+1) 73 and seven-over par overall.
• Named the Sunshine State Conference Player of the Week earlier Monday, Victor Jimenez wrapped up the day tied for 21^st at eight-over par. The senior carded an opening-round 74, yet unlike both Torres and Calles, faced tougher times in the afternoon session, ultimately recording a 78 over the second 18 holes.
• Rounds of (+4) 76 and (+6) 78 have sophomore Mike Hay currently tied for 29^th on the leaderboard.
• Meanwhile, Emanuel Olofsson finds himself in a tie for 57^th at 16-over par.

STATS OF THE DAY:

• Hay and Jimenez tallied five birdies a piece through the first two rounds, tied for most among the NSU lineup.

BEYOND THE SCORECARD:

• The only two players currently in red numbers, West Florida's Elias Haavisto (-5) holds a one-shot advantage over Barry's A.J. Ewart atop the leaderboard.
• Seven of the 14 teams competing in this week's event are currently ranked among the Top-25 in Golfstat's latest poll.

UP NEXT:
NSU will look to gain ground on the leaders when the final round tees off Tuesday morning at 8:30 am. For live coverage, visit the schedule page on NSUSharks.com or follow the Sharks on Instagram or Twitter at @NSU_MGolf.

 

Solid day for the Sharks!

Final round tees off tomorrow morning at 8:30.#PrepareToDominate pic.twitter.com/9XZ9PvB644

— NSU_MGolf (@NSU_MGolf) March 9, 2021