BRASELTON, Ga. – The FGCU men's golf team concluded a long Tuesday just before sunset at the Legends Course of Chateau Elan as the Eagles wrapped up the 2015 Atlantic Sun Conference Championship in 5th place after playing two full rounds and finishing their opening round in the morning.
 
Sophomore Keaton Jones (Kitchener, Ontario/ St. Mary's HS) led the way for FGCU as he finished in 14th place overall with rounds of 73-75-74 for a 222 total on the altered par-70 layout.
 
Junior Jake Sherwin (Fort Myers, Fla./Evangelical Christian HS) bounced back from a 78 in the first round with a 71 in the second but closed with a 76 to wrap up his third A-Sun Championship in a tie for 19th with a 225 total. That total was matched by sophomore Jordan Miller (Bradenton, Fla./Bradenton Christian HS) who was making his A-Sun tournament debut and posted consistent rounds of 75-74-76.
 
No. 27 North Florida won the A-Sun Championship for the third time in four years courtesy of a torrid final-round 277 (-3), seven shots better than any other team's final 18. The Ospreys (849 total) finished seven shots clear of No. 29 Kennesaw State (856) as the Owls stumbled in the final round with a 292 after posting a 277 in the second round. Lipscomb (860) came in 3rd place, while USC Upstate (883) finished in 4th.
 
The 5th-place finish for FGCU as a result of a team score of 899 was the Green and Blue's best since 2012 when it came in 4th place with an 896 score. Thanks to a second-round 298 and final-round 299, the Eagles put together consecutive sub-300 rounds at the A-Sun Championship for the first time since 2011 when all three rounds were posted below that total.
 
"They guys are disappointed about their finish, but they're looking forward to improving their games this summer and getting back at it next year," stated FGCU head coach Eric Booker. "We're going to miss Blake (Biggs) and the leadership he provided, and we wish him well in his golf career and future. It was a pleasure coaching this group of guys this year, and we're optimistic that we can continue to build on some solid finishes near the end of the season."
 
Making his final appearance as a member of the Green and Blue, Blake Biggs (Peoria, Ill./Eastern Florida State College/Peoria Notre Dame HS) finished tied for 29th overall with rounds of 76-84-73 (233), while junior transfer Austin Schultz (Lakeland, Fla./Florida Southern College/Lee Virtual Instructional Program) rounded out the FGCU scoring with rounds of 81-78-77 (236) to finish tied for 34th overall.
 
The eight-team field had their rhythm disrupted from the outset of the tournament. Originally scheduled for three days with one round of action each day, tornado warnings, heavy rain, hail and lightning all contributed to some FGCU golfers playing as many as 41 holes on Tuesday – the last day the tournament could be contested.
 
Sunday's opening round was postponed until Monday when 36 holes were scheduled to be played. However, Mother Nature stopped played just shy of 1 p.m. outside Atlanta, leaving most players in the field to complete their first round on Tuesday morning and then play 36 more holes without a break. Additionally, the 10th hole – where FGCU started each round – was played as a par 3 as opposed to its normal par 5 due to excessive water in the fairway.
 
FGCU will lose just two seniors to graduation this spring (Biggs and Jack Hernandez (Fort Myers, Fla./Bishop Verot HS)), who did not compete in any tournament action this year. The Eagles are expected to return two juniors in Schultz and Sherwin, the latter of whom finished in the top 20 in all but one tournament in 2014-15. Additionally, a talented sophomore class of four members and a freshman class of two will welcome three incoming freshmen to Southwest Florida for the 2015-16 campaign.
 
FGCU Individual Finishes
14) Keaton Jones 73-75-74: 222
T19) Jake Sherwin 78-71-76: 225
T19) Jordan Miller 75-74-76: 225
T29) Blake Biggs 76-84-73: 233
T34) Austin Schultz 81-78-77: 236
 
Tournament Final Leaderboard (Golfweek Rankings Designated By #)
1) #27 North Florida 290-282-277: 849
2) #29 Kennesaw State 287-277-292: 856
3) #122 Lipscomb 288-288-284: 860
4) #167 USC Upstate 289-297-297: 883
5) #160 FGCU 302-298-299: 899
6) #99 Jacksonville 301-289-313: 903
7) #207 Stetson 300-306-303: 909
8) #230 Northern Kentucky 312-310-315: 937
 
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