Men's Golf Wins the National Preview; Alvarez Crowned the Medalist

WINTER GARDEN, Fla. – Florida Southern men's golf, who received votes in the first Bushnell/Golfweek Division II Coaches poll (Sept. 1), came from behind to win the 2023-24 opening tournament at the Orange County National Golf Center in Winter Garden, where the Moccasins defeated No. 1 Barry and No. 2 Nova Southeastern. Adam Alvarez claimed medalist honors, going wire-to-wire to win the first tournament of the year, the second of his career.

"Winning feels good," Head Coach Lee White '12 stated. "To start our season with a win at the national preview is special. This team proved to themselves that they can win. We're looking to keep putting ourselves in position for the rest of the season."
 
Adam Alvarez, a redshirt senior from Winter Haven, Fla., fired off his third consecutive under-par round of golf to finish at 206 (-12), defeating second place by five strokes. Alvarez birdied his first hole of the day, the par-4 no. 10 finishing with three on the back-nine before making eight pars and one birdie on the front nine to card a 69 (-3) Tuesday. Over the 54-hole event, he made 14 birdies, third in the field, with one eagle and 33 pars.

Lee commented, "Adam had a great week. He is a byproduct of his dedication and hard work, it was exciting to see him close out the win."
 
Bryce Walker finished tied for fourth at three-under 213 after carding the Mocs' low-round of the day with a 68 (-4). Walker, a senior from Bartow, Fla., shot an even-par 36 on his back nine but lit up the front nine with a 32 (-4). He recorded birdies on holes one, three, and eight, while sinking a birdie on the par-5 542-yard fourth.
 
Max Barile finished 11^th in the field at even-par 216 after carding a two-under 70 Tuesday. The redshirt sophomore from Land O' Lakes, Fla. tallied seven birdies over his final 18 holes, going one-under on both the front and back nine on Crooked Cat.
 
Tyler Mistretta joined Alvarez, Walker, and Barile in the top-15 of the field with a one-over 217 over the 54 holes where he shot a 69 (-3) for the final round. Mistretta, a redshirt sophomore from North Palm Beach, Fla. and the 2023 Sunshine State Conference Freshman of the Year, made two birdies in his first three holes Tuesday before concluding with five total for the day.
 
Max Watson closed the Mocs in the field of 52 where he ended in 31^st place. Watson, a senior from Ashland, Ohio, finished the tournament at six-over 222 following his final round 72 (E). Starting on hole 12, Watson started off with back-to-back bogey's but battled back to birdie the 14^th and 17^th while making par on the 15^th, 16^th, and 18^th, before making the turn to eagle the par-5 502-yard no. 1. He closed the front nine with two more birdies, and four more pars, with a par and double bogey on the final two holes of the day.
 
Florida Southern started the day in third place, three strokes off the two-round leader Coker, flipped the script going 12-under Tuesday with a 276, the best round by any team for a round at the NCAA National Championship Preview with an 852 (-12). The Moccasins were challenged by No. 20 Saint Leo, who carded a 10-under 278 for the final 18. The Lions finished in second place, falling by four strokes, 856 (-8).
 
No. 2 Nova Southeastern fell from second place to third place after a final round three-under 285 for a total of 859 (-5), rounding out the teams under par for the event. No. 25 Tampa jumped two spots to finish in fourth place (866, +2), ahead of No. 1 Barry and two-round leader Coker in fifth place, 870 (+6).
 
Lynn (RV), Palm Beach Atlantic, and Eckerd closed out the field in seventh, eighth, and ninth places respectively. Lynn finished at 881 (+17), PBA 882 (+18), and Eckerd 925 (+61).
 
1^st – Florida Southern – 291-295-276 – 852 (-12)
1 – Adam Alvarez – 68-69-69 – 206 (-10)
T4 – Bryce Walker – 75-70-68 – 213 (-3)
T11 – Max Barile – 75-71-70 – 216 (E)
T15 – Tyler Mistretta – 73-75-69 – 217 (+1)
T31 – Max Watson – 75-75-72 – 222 (+6)
 
Florida Southern returns to the links next week, Sept. 18-19 at the 2^nd Annual Mizuno Intercollegiate in Gainesville, Ga. at the Chattahoochee Golf Club hosted by the University of North Georgia.