SAINT LEO, Fla. – After battling back from six shots down at the start of the final round, the ninth-ranked Nova Southeastern men's golf team fell one shot short of the Saint Leo Invitational title after being defeated by No. 5 Lee in a team playoff. The Sharks fired the round of the day, turning in a collective (-9) 279, and even grabbed a brief lead late in the afternoon. However, during the playoff, the NSU lineup combined for four pars while Lee used three pars and a birdie to secure the narrow victory.  

INSIDE THE TOURNAMENT:
Tournament Finish: 2nd of 17 Teams
Tournament Champion: Lee
Location: Lake Jovita Golf & Country Club – South Course | Saint Leo, Fla.
Par/Yardage: 72/7,173
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HOW IT HAPPENED:

• With a handful of holes still to finish from Monday, the Sharks wrapped up round two early Tuesday at six-under par and six shots back of Lee.
• NSU would elevate its game even further during the final round thanks in large part due to near-perfect finishes by Mike Hay and Josep Serra. Although he bogeyed No. 15, Serra drained four birdies over the final six holes, with Hay coming home with three straight birdies.
• Serra's final round of (-4) 68 earned the freshman a third-place finish at nine-under par for the tournament. Hay, meanwhile, jolted into sole possession of fourth following his final round of (-5) 67. Hay closed at eight-under overall, which featured a rare albatross on the Par-5 ninth during his last 18 holes.
• Following back-to-back even-par rounds, Javier Calles climbed into a tie for 12^th on the leaderboard after closing with a (-2) 70. Calles faced a rough stretch of three consecutive bogeys early on in his final round, yet shot a bogey-free, four-under par over his remaining 14 holes.
• At seven-over par for the tournament, Joseba Torres finished tied for 50^th, as Emanuel Olofsson collected a share of 59^th at 10-over par.
• Competing as an individual this week, Daniel Celestino made his case to be inserted into the lineup after tying for sixth overall. Celestino posted a (+1) 73 in the final round, yet preceded the effort with two rounds in red numbers to wind up at five-under par.
• Outside of Lee and NSU, Keiser wrapped up the tournament in third at 12-under par, followed by Lynn (-11) and Valdosta State (-6).

STATS OF THE DAY:

• NSU led the 17-team field in Par-3 scoring average (3.03).
• The Sharks' combined 60 birdies this week also topped the field.
• Serra finished the week at 11-under par on the Par 5's.
• Celestino's 16 birdies matched a tournament high.

BEYOND THE SCORECARD:

• Lee's Beck Burnette beat Lynn's Alejandro Madariaga in a three-hole playoff to earn individual medalist honors.
• NSU's final round of (-9) 279 was the second-best round of the tourney, trailing only Lee's first-round effort of (-10) 278.
• The Sharks have finished among the Top-3 in each of their first two tournaments of the season.

UP NEXT:
NSU will compete at Florida Tech's Panther Invitational in Melbourne, Fla. from Mar. 6-8. For coverage, visit the schedule page on NSUSharks.com or follow the Sharks on Instagram and Twitter at @NSU_MGolf.