PALM BEACH GARDENS - Thanks to a one-under 71 from senior Shane Convery and three golfers recording scores of two-over 74's, Florida Southern completed the first round of play here Monday at the Guy Harvey Invitational hosted by Nova Southeastern in a tie for fourth place out of 16 teams after firing a five-over 293 as a team.
The team's were scheduled to play two rounds on Monday at the PGA National's Fazio Course, but the second round was suspended due to inclement weather that hit the area with the teams about halfway through their second round of action. FSC had completed seven holes prior to play being suspended. The team's will return to the course on Tuesday morning and complete the second round (11 holes for FSC) and then begin the third and final round (18 holes).
FSC is tied with ninth-ranked Missouri-St. Louis in fourth place and they are two shots behind No. 2 ranked and tournament host Nova Southeastern, who shot a three-over 291 in the first round to stand third. 25th-ranked Rollins College was the first round leader as the Tars shot a two-under 286 as a team, while No. 1 ranked Barry shot a two-over 290 to stand in second place.
Other first round scores posted on Monday included Saint Leo shooting a 294 to stand in sixth place, while Johnson & Wales and fourth-ranked Lynn each fired 296's to stand tied for seventh. California Baptist shot a 298 and stands in ninth and 18th-ranked Armstrong Atlantic is 10th after shooting a 299. No. 22 ranked Flagler and Florida Tech each shot 300's to stand tied for 11th, while Wilmington (Del.) shot a 301 to stand 13th and Eckerd fired a 305 and stands 14th. Palm Beach Atlantic and Arkansas-Fort Smith shot 319 and 320 in the first round to stand 15th and 16th respectively. ÂÂ
This year's Guy Harvey field includes eight teams ranked in the latest Golf World/Nike Golf Division II Coaches' Poll, including five teams ranked in the Top 10. FSC is ranked fifth in that latest poll.
In the first round, Convery led the way for the Mocs as he shot a one-under par 71 to stand tied for fifth on the overall leaderboard. In addition to Convery, senior All-American Tim Crouch (Mt. Vernon, Ohio), sophomore Austin Schultz (Lakeland, Fla.) and sophomore Robert White (Wyandette, Mich.) each carded first round score of two-over par 74's to stand tied for 31st place.
Four players are tied for first following the first round as Armstrong Atlantic's Shad Tuten, Barry's Mario Beltran, Barry's Eirik Groenhaug and Lynn's Martin Cancino each shot two-under par 70's to sit atop the leaderboard. Groenhaug and Cancino are playing as individuals in the tournament.
In the first round of action, a total of 15 players shot even-par or better on the 7,050-yard Fazio course and 30 players are within three shots of the first round leaders.
The final competitor for the Mocs on Monday was freshman Jason Huntington (Lakeland, Fla.) as he carded a first round score of 77 to stand tied for 59th place.
Tuesday's play will get underway at 8:15 a.m. with the completion of the second round, with the third and final round to commence following the second round being completed.
