Central Broward News

Nova Southeastern University recently issued the following announcement.

NSU comes up one stroke short of Lee in team playoff

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

Get Social: Twitter - @NSU_MGolf | Instagram - @NSU_MGolf | Facebook - /NSUGolfTeam

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 12th 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 50th, as Emanuel Olofsson collected a share of 59th 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.

Original source can be found here.