ESTERO, Fla. – Teeing it up for the first time since the end of October, the FGCU men's golf team began its spring season with an exclamation point as the Eagles used a strong final-round push to claim the inaugural 36-hole Randy Grimes Memorial Shootout on Sunday at the Jack Nicklaus-designed Old Corkscrew Golf Club.
 
After shooting a 310 total in the first 18 of the day, FGCU bounced back on its home course in a big way during the second 18 as the Eagles recorded a 292 to wrap up the two rounds with a score of 602. That was five shots clear of 2nd-place FAU and Jacksonville State – both of which were ranked ahead of FGCU in the Golfstat national rankings entering the tournament.
 
Trailing with just a few holes to go in the shotgun format, FGCU received a big swing on the par-5 15th when Andrew Potter made the team's first eagle of the season – including four fall events – to leapfrog then-tournament leader FAU. That swing created all the separation the Eagles needed as they went on to post their first victory of the season.
 
Grant Renegar led the Green and Blue with a 146 total (+2), including an impressive tournament-low-tying 1-under 71 in his final round. The 1-under performance was the senior's first sub-par round of the year as he finished 2nd overall in the limited field – just one stroke behind medalist Maximo Portais (145) from Jacksonville State. Portais shot rounds of 71 and 74, with the first round including a hole-in-one on the par-3 166-yard 12th.
 
Right behind Renegar (McComb, Miss./Meridian CC/Parklane Academy) was freshman Cole Castro as he rebounded from an opening-round 78 with a tournament-low-matching 71 of his own in the final round. Playing in the FGCU lineup for the first time, Castro (Homestead, Fla./South Dade HS) tied for 3rd overall out of 27 golfers.
 
"I'm really proud of the guys," commented FGCU head coach Eric Booker, who has now led the Eagles to a pair of limited-field victories in the past two years. "We've been working on some new, creative things this offseason, and it's great to see the improvement right away. It's a good start to our spring season, and hopefully we can keep it going."
 
In addition to FGCU, FAU and Jacksonville State, fellow ASUN Conference member Stetson finished in 4th place with a 615 total, while the Eagles 'B' team posted a 628 total to round out the five-team field.
 
The 'B' grouping was led by Doug Smith with rounds of 80 and 73 for a 153 total and a tie for 8th overall. After a roller-coaster opening 18, Smith (Windermere, Fla./Olympia HS) settled down – along with winds – and posted two bogeys and a birdie in his second 18.
 
His tale of improvement was not uncommon as winds gusted heavily in the morning, leading to a scoring average of 79.37. Winds calmed down in the afternoon, and the scores reflected that as the average round dipped to 76.59 on the always-challenging par-72, 6,697-yard narrow layout.
 
Matching Smith's tie for 8th was Potter (Naples, Fla./Community School of Naples) as he recorded rounds of 78 and 75. Michael Keymont (Orlando, Fla./Eastern Florida State College/Timber Creek) signed for rounds of 79 and 75 (154) to tie for 11th overall, while James Leadbetter (Bradenton, Fla./Arkansas/IMG Academy) rounded out the primary FGCU lineup with rounds of 81 and 82 (163).
 
The tournament was named in honor of Randy Grimes, a baseball player from Naples who died a few years ago in his early 20s of an accidental pain-medication overdose after injuring his shoulder. The Grimes family is supporters of the FGCU men's golf program, and hope to bring awareness to the dangers of addictive pain medication.
 
FGCU will take a couple weeks off from competitive action before returning to the course later this month when it heads to Stetson's Legacy Intercollegiate Feb. 26-27.
 
Below are scores from all of FGCU's 12 players, in addition to overall team results and scores.
 
FGCU Team Scores
2) Grant Renegar: 75-71: 146 (+2)
T-3) Cole Castro: 78-71: 149 (+5)
T-8) Andrew Potter: 78-75: 153 (+9)
T-11) Michael Keymont: 79-75: 154 (+10)
23) James Leadbetter: 81-82: 163 (+19)
 
FGCU 'B' Team Scores
T-8) Doug Smith: 80-73: 153 (+9)
T-15) DJ Griffiths: 79-77: 156 (+12)
T-17) Robert Renner Jr.: 78-79: 157 (+13)
T-24) Remec Carlson: 84-80: 164 (+20)
26) Brent Fredericksen: 82-83: 165 (+21)
 
FGCU Individual Scores
21) Mark Iwinski Jr.: 80-81: 161 (+17)
27) Landon Weber: 83-86: 169 (+25)
 
Randy Grimes Memorial Shootout Field
1) #201 FGCU: 310-292: 602 (+26)
T-2) #135 Jacksonville State: 308-299: 607 (+31)
T-2) #192 FAU: 306-301: 607 (+31)
4) #258 Stetson: 321-294: 615 (+39)
5) N/A FGCU 'B': 319-309: 628 (+52)
 
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 4th-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.