ESTERO, Fla. – Hosting its lone tournament of the season, the FGCU men's golf team finished the 54-hole invitational Tuesday in 5th place following a final-round 305 total at Old Corkscrew Golf Club as part of the inaugural Homewood/Hilton Garden Airport & FGCU Classic.
 
Jake Sherwin (Fort Myers, Fla./Evangelical Christian HS) led FGCU as he wrapped up his second-straight top-15 performance with a final-round 73 (+1) to finish in a tie for 10th overall with a three-round 222 total (73-76-73/+6). Florida State, the No. 1 team in the nation based off the most recent Golfstat Rankings, won the 14-team tournament with a final-round 289 total to complete a three-round 867 performance, 13 shots clear of No. 53 University of Florida (880).
 
FGCU capped the invite with a 903 total for the three rounds, five behind No. 91 Loyola (Md.) (898) and eight shy of third-place Saint Mary's (895). The Gaels posted the third-best final-round score to move up from a tie for 5th place, surpassing the Green and Blue who entered Tuesday in 4th place and just five shots behind Loyola (Md.).
 
Casper Howells (London, England/Bradfield College) completed his gradual three-round increase as he carded a final-round 74 (+2) – the second-best final round of any Green and Blue player. Howells shot an opening-round 78 before signing for a 75 in the second round and finishing in a tie for 21st overall with a 227 total.
 
That total was matched by Austin Schultz (Lakeland, Fla./Florida Southern College/Lee Virtual Instructional Program) as the junior transfer also carded a 227 total but did it in opposite fashion as Howells, starting with a 73 in the first round before a 76 in the second round and wrapping it up with a 78 on Tuesday.
 
After entering the final round in a tie for 9th overall, Jordan Miller (Bradenton, Fla./Bradenton Christian School) struggled with an 82 in the final round to finish in a tie for 31st overall with a three-round 229. Senior Blake Biggs (Peoria, Ill./Eastern Florida State College/Peoria Notre Dame HS), who is working through a swing change, tied for 55th overall following a final-round 80 and three-round 238.
 
In addition to the FGCU five-man lineup, three Eagles competed as individuals, and all three finished separated by two shots. Leading the pack was Conrad Hahne (Ramsey, Minn./South Fort Myers HS), who fired his second-straight 77 and finished with a three-round 236 total and in a tie for 45th. Right behind him was Keaton Jones (Kitchener, Ontario/St. Mary's HS), who carded a final-round 79 and signed for a two-day 237 total. Freshman Anthony Quintessenza (St. Petersburg, Fla./Northside Christian HS) posted a 238 following a final-round 84.
 
Old Corkscrew is a Jack Nicklaus signature design known for its tight fairways, and only one hole – the short, par-5 11th – played under par on the day. The 498-yard hole, which is guarded by water up the fairway and near the green, played to a -0.36 average relative to par as six eagles were recorded on the day.
 
Schultz and Howells both took advantage of not only the 11th but the rest of the par-5s on the course as Schultz played to a stroke average of 4.58 over the three rounds (-5), while Howells posted a 4.67 average (-4), good for a tie for fourth-best and tie for seventh-best, respectively, in the field in that category. Sherwin, meanwhile, tied for the best score among all 77 competitors on the par-3s, playing them collectively at 2.92 (-1). Additionally, Howells carded 33 pars over the three rounds – tied for the sixth-most in the field.
 
"We're starting to show some improvement as a team and some of the individuals had some decent rounds," said coach Eric Booker. "Now we've got a few months to train, and we'll be doing a lot of fitness-related activities and also working on the short game as well to get ready for the spring. We want to win the conference and the guys have the talent to excel. By taking a couple shots off each round on average will put us in good shape."
 
This is the first time FGCU hosted the invite on their home course. For the past three years the Eagles 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 just more than 6,900 yards on Tuesday. 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).
 
The tournament completed FGCU's fall season as the Eagles won't return to competitive action until March. FGCU competed in five fall tournaments – only three with Booker at the helm – and posted its two-best finishes in its final two outings – 4th place at Kennesaw State's Pinetree Intercollegiate last week and 5th place at the Homewood/Hilton Garden Airport & FGCU Classic.
 
FGCU COMPETITORS
T10) Jake Sherwin: 73-76-73/222
T21) Austin Schultz: 73-76-78/227
T21) Casper Howells: 78-75-74/227
T31) Jordan Miller: 72-75-82/229
T45) Conrad Hahne: 82-77-77/236
T51) Keaton Jones: 78-80-79/237
T55) Blake Biggs: 80-78-80/238
T55) Anthony Quintessenza: 80-74-84/238
 
COMPLETE FIELD (Golfstat Rankings)
1) #1 Florida State: 290-288-289/867
2) #53 Florida: 285-301-294/880
3) #108 Saint Mary's: 299-301-295/895
4) #91 Loyola (Md.): 299-294-305/898
5) #182 FGCU: 296-302-305/903
T6) #242 Stetson: 303-299-304/906
T6) #169 St. John's: 300-300-306/906
8) #99 Miami (Ohio): 299-304-307/910
9) #134 Ball State: 315-299-306/920
10) #231 Bethune-Cookman: 318-309-300/927
 
11) #173 Arkansas State: 306-310-315/931
12) #236 Ohio: 317-318-305/940
13) #205 Murray State: 320-311-326/957
14) #N/A FAU: 322-309-332/963
* #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.