VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS COMING SOON

ESTERO, Fla. – Hosting its lone tournament of the season, the FGCU men's golf team is in 4th place following 36 holes of action Monday at Old Corkscrew Golf Club as part of the inaugural Homewood/Hilton Garden Airport & FGCU Classic.
 
Jordan Miller (Bradenton, Fla./Bradenton Christian School) led the Eagles with rounds of even-par 72 and 3-over 75 for a two-round 147 total which places him in a tie for ninth overall. The Eagles carded rounds of 296 and 302 as their 598 total is just five behind Loyola (Md.). Florida State, the No. 1 team in the nation based off the latest Golfstat Rankings, lead the 14-team field with a 578 total (290-288), while No. 53 Florida is in second with a 586 total.
 
FGCU – which was just six shots behind the Seminoles following the first 18 of the day – enters the final round ahead of five teams which are ranked in front of the Green and Blue in the national rankings. The 54-hole tournament will conclude Tuesday with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. The Eagles will be playing alongside St. John's and Saint Mary's on one of the most scenic and prestigious courses not only in Southwest Florida but throughout the state. Admission to the Jack Nicklaus-designed course is free and open to the public as FGCU will be teeing it up in its final competitive round until March.
 
"I'm proud of the team for grinding it out today," said coach Eric Booker. "It was looking like the second round was getting away from us, but we were able to finish strong. Hopefully we can carry that over into tomorrow's final round."
 
Jake Sherwin (Fort Myers, Fla./Evangelical Christian HS) and Austin Schultz (Lakeland, Fla./Florida Southern College/Lee Virtual Instructional Program) – who were Booker's No. 1 and No. 2 players in the lineup, respectively – both shot rounds of 73-76 (149) and are tied for 17th overall. After struggling with a first-round 78, Casper Howells (London, England/Bradfield College) bounced back in his second round of the day with a 75 and is tied for 33rd with a two-round 153. Rounding out the FGCU scoring was Blake Biggs (Peoria, Ill./Eastern Florida State College/Peoria Notre Dame HS), who carded rounds of 80-78 (158) as the senior is in a tie for 50th overall.
 
In addition to the five-man lineup, FGCU also has three members competing as individuals, and that trio was led by freshman Anthony Quintessenza (St. Petersburg, Fla./Northside Christian HS), who regrouped nicely from an opening-round 80 with a 74 in the afternoon. He's tied for 39th overall with a 154 total, four shots ahead of teammate Keaton Jones (Kitchener, Ontario/St. Mary's HS), who signed for rounds of 78-80 (158), and five shots ahead of Conrad Hahne (Ramsey, Minn./South Fort Myers HS), who recorded rounds of 82 and 77 for a 159 total.
 
Old Corkscrew is a Nicklaus signature design known for its tight fairways, and while only four holes played under par over the course of the two rounds, an incredible 13 eagles were recorded, eight coming on the par-5, 498-yard 11th. All 13 eagles came from different competitors, as Howells and Schultz each recorded one for FGCU. In the first round, FAU's Michael Perez recorded a hole-in-one on the par-3, 150-yard 12th.
 
Sherwin posted the third-best par-3 score in the field by playing them at 1-under par collectively, due in large part to recording eight birdies over the two rounds – tied for the fourth-most in the field. Schultz took advantage of the par-5 holes as he played them at -4 – tied for the third-best score among the 77 competitors.
 
This is the first time FGCU has hosted the invite on their home course. For the past three years the Eagles have co-hosted the Cobra-PUMA Invitational at Miromar Lakes Golf Club with Xavier University and won that tournament each year.
 
Old Corkscrew Golf Club is Southwest Florida's only stand-alone Nicklaus signature golf course, and while the par-72 course can stretch out to nearly 7,400 yards it played approximately 6,900 yards on Monday. Old Corkscrew opened for play in February of 2007 and has quickly been recognized as one of the nation's finest golf courses and included on a number of prestigious lists.
 
Since Old Corkscrew is not part of any real estate development, the course is a "core" or "stand-alone" extraordinary golf experience just minutes from Naples and Fort Myers Beach. The course design has been developed to mesh precisely with the outstanding natural assets – mature oak, pine and cypress trees and a natural flow way through the center of the property adding up to one spectacular golf course. The 275-acre site is located approximately seven miles east of I–75 on the south side of Corkscrew Road (17320 Corkscrew Road).
 
Scoring will be available following the conclusion of the final round Tuesday at FGCUAthletics.com, while updates and behind-the-scenes coverage will be available on Twitter by following @FGCU_MGolf and Instagram @FGCUAthletics. Complete pairings can be accessed by clicking on the link at the top of this release.
 
FGCU COMPETITORS
T9) Jordan Miller: 72-75/147
T17) Jake Sherwin: 73-76/149
T17) Austin Schultz: 73-76/149
T33) Casper Howells: 78-75/153
T39) Anthony Quintessenza: 80-74/154
T50) Blake Biggs: 80-78/158
T50) Keaton Jones: 78-80/158
T52) Conrad Hahne: 82-77/159
 
COMPLETE FIELD (Golfstat Rankings)
1) #1 Florida State: 290-288/578
2) #53 Florida: 285-301/586
3) #91 Loyola (Md.): 299-294/593
4) #182 FGCU: 296-302/598
T5) #169 St. John's: 300-300/600
T5) #108 Saint Mary's: 299-301/600
7) #242 Stetson: 303-299/602
8) #99 Miami (Ohio): 299-304/603
9) #134 Ball State: 315-299/614
10) #173 Arkansas State: 306-310/616
11) #231 Bethune-Cookman: 318-309/627
T12) #205 Murray State: 320-311/631
T12) #N/A FAU: 322-309/631
14) #236 Ohio: 317-318/635
* #N/A FAU (not enough rounds this year to qualify for a ranking)
 
FOLLOW ALONG
For schedule updates, news and information, visit FGCUAthletics.com. For the latest news and behind-the-scenes access to information, photos and videos, follow @FGCU_MGolf on Twitter.
 
COACH BOOKER
FGCU is led by coach Eric Booker, a member of the PGA Tour and Web.com Tour (formerly the Nationwide Series) for portions of 17 years from 1990-2007. Booker finished in the top-5 three times in tournaments on the PGA Tour and also played in the U.S. Open and PGA Championship. He played in 62 career events on the PGA Tour, with his best finish being a tie for 3rd at the 1999 Honda Classic.
 
HELP THE CAUSE
FGCU Athletics sponsors events throughout the year to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.