PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – The FGCU men's golf team moved from a tie for 5th into sole possession of 4th place and just three shots out of 2nd place following second-round action on Saturday at the FAU Slomin Autism Invitational from PGA National's Squire Course.
 
Andrew Potter continues to pace the Eagles as the sophomore followed up a 3-under 69 in the opening round with an even-par 72 in the second round. At -3 overall, Potter (Naples, Fla./Community School of Naples) is in a tie for 2nd place overall, just one stroke behind tournament leader Manuel Elvira from UCF.
 
UCF continues to lead the 13-team tournament at 580 (291 second round), 10 strokes clear of 2nd place Jacksonville State (590). FGCU shot a second-round 295 – tied for the second-best in the field – and has a 593 total, just one shot behind 3rd-place Georgetown (592).
 
"The guys really played some good golf today, but it was unfortunate to lose some important strokes the last few holes," said FGCU head coach Eric Booker, whose four counting score team members collectively shot +5 over their respective final three holes after being just +2 overall on the day before then. "But overall they have many things to be proud of heading into tomorrow's final round. We improved our position in the field, so we're within striking distance of the leaders."
 
After opening with a 78 on Friday, Keaton Jones bounced back with a 72 on Saturday. Right on the heels of Jones (Kitchener, Ontario/St. Mary's HS) and Potter was Doug Smith as the freshman signed for a 73 and is tied for 14th overall at +5. Casper Howells (London, England/Bradford College) finished his second round with a 78, while Michael Keymont shot a 79.
 
Potter was 3-under on his round – which started on the 10th hole – but made three bogeys over his final four holes to finish with the 72. Smith (Windermere, Fla./Olympia HS), who started on 11, was 2-under after a birdie on the 1st, but made three bogeys coming in. Similarly, Keymont (Orlando, Fla./Eastern Florida State/Timber Creek HS) was only 2-over on his round with three holes to play, but an unfortunate quadruple bogey on the par-4 8th and a bogey on the 10th set him back.
 
Despite the tough finishing stretch for the Eagles, they remain easily within striking distance of the leaders entering Sunday's final round. That final 18 will get underway with another shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. FGCU will tee off from holes 6-10 and be paired with leaders UCF, Jacksonville State and Georgetown. Live scoring is available via Golfstat by clicking here.
 
FGCU LINEUP
T-2) Andrew Potter: 69-72: 141 (-3)
T-14) Doug Smith: 76-73: 149 (+5)
T-22) Keaton Jones: 78-72: 150 (+6)
T-39) Michael Keymont: 75-79: 154 (+10)
T-61) Casper Howells: 81-78: 159 (+15)
 
TOURNAMENT FIELD (Golfstat Ranking)
1) 55 UCF: 289-291: 580 (+4)
2) 83 Jacksonville State: 290-300: 590 (+14)
3) 191 Georgetown: 291-301: 592 (+16)
4) 172 FGCU: 298-295: 593 (+17)
5) 133 Connecticut: 298-297: 595 (+19)
6) 190 DePaul: 304-295: 599 (+23)
7) 132 Southern Mississippi: 296-306: 602 (+26)
8) 187 Northern Illinois: 298-306: 604 (+28)
9) 209 FAU: 304-301: 605 (+29)
10) 214 Stetson: 305-304: 609 (+33)
11) 237 Murray State: 316-296: 612 (+36)
12) 240 Morehead State: 302-317: 619 (+43)
13) 256 Hartford: 307-316: 623 (+47)
 
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 and @FGCU_MGolf on Instagram.
 
COACH BOOKER
FGCU is led by 3rd-year 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.