HOUSTON – The FGCU men's golf team claimed the tournament championship at the Colin Montgomerie Invitational, which was held at the par-72, 7,018-yard Cypresswood Golf Club.
 
The tournament was shortened to 36 holes due to inclement weather, and the Eagles closed out their second round Tuesday with a 1-over-par 289 to land at 2-over 578. They finished two strokes clear of Houston (292-288=580) and North Dakota State (291-298=580), while Prairie View A&M finished fourth at 5-over 581 (294-287) and California Baptist rounded out the top 5 at 6-over 582 (295-287).
 
"I'm proud of the team and how they handled themselves under pressure in those final nine holes," FGCU coach Eric Booker said. "They knew what needed to be done and they delivered."
 
FGCU led wire-to-wire for the second tournament title in the Coach Booker era (since 2015). The Green and Blue shot even on the par-4's in the second round to lead the field. That mark was helped greatly by Andrew Potter (Naples, FL/Community School of Naples). The senior began his second round Monday afternoon with an eagle on the par-4 fifth hole, and he finished as the only player in the field to make an eagle on a par-4.
 
Potter shot 1-under 71 in the second round to finish in a tie for fifth at 1-under 143 (72-71). True freshman Tate Heintzelman (Granger, IN/Saint Joseph HS) tied with Potter with rounds of 69 and 74.
 
True freshman Chase Bigham (Naples, FL/Seacrest Country Day) cracked the top 10 with a ninth-place finish at even par 144 (71-13). Sophomore Cole Castro (Homestead, FL/South Dade HS) shot under par in the second round to vault 16 positions to T-24 at 4-over 148 (77-71). Junior Doug Smith (Windermere, FL/Olympia HS) finished his tournament in a tie for 72nd at 14-over 158 (79-79).
 
Stetson's Baylor Payne won the individual title at 3-under 141 (67-74), while Prairie View A&M's Laurence Crea (69-73) and Van Holmgren of North Dakota State (72-70) tied for second at 2-under 142.
 
The tournament was originally slated for 54 holes but was cut short due to weather. The teams reached the back nine of their respective second rounds Monday before play was halted, and they were only able to complete 36 holes.
 
COLIN MONTGOMERIE INVITATIONAL – Final Results
February 26, 2019 at Houston, Texas
(par-72, 7,018-yard Cypresswood Golf Club)
 

Team Results
1.	#163 FGCU	289-289=578 (+2)
T2.	#103 Houston	292-288=580 (+4)
	#172 North Dakota State	291-298=580 (+4)
4.	#207 Prairie View A&M	294-287=581 (+5)
5.	California Baptist	295-287=582 (+6)
6.	#141 UTRGV	290-299=589 (+13)
7.	#188 Abilene Christian	299-298=597 (+21)
T8.	#164 Bradley	309-296=605 (+29)
	#246 New Orleans	310-295=605 (+29)
10.	#250 Stetson	305-302=607 (+31)
T11.	#226 Houston Baptist	308-300=608 (+32)
	#219 Southeastern Louisiana	299-309=608 (+32)
13.	#267 Weber State	310-299=609 (+33)
14.	#236 Drake	305-308=613 (+37)
15.	#200 Incarnate Word	311-304=615 (+39)
16.	#281 North Dakota	319-326=645 (+69)
Rankings reflect the latest Golfstat Rankings
Top-5 Individuals
1.	Baylor Payne (Stetson)	67-74=141 (-3)
T2.	Laurence Crea (Prairie View A&M)	69-73=142 (-2)
	Van Holmgren (North Dakota State)	72-70=142 (-2)
	Matt Williams (Houston)	70-72=142 (-2)
T5.	Tate Heintzelman	69-74=143 (-1)
	Andrew Potter	72-71=143 (-1)
	Alexander Frances (Houston)	73-70=143 (-1)
	Zane Brooks (Prairie View A&M)	71-72=143 (-1)
FGCU Individuals
T5.	Tate Heintzelman	69-74=143 (-1)
T5.	Andrew Potter	72-71=143 (-1)
T9.	Chase Bigham	71-73=144 (E)
T24.	Cole Castro	77-71=148 (+4)
T72.	Doug Smith	79-79=158 (+14)

UP NEXT
The Eagles will trek to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, March 4-5 for the Fort Lauderdale Intercollegiate. The tournament is being hosted by Loyola Maryland and will be contested at the Fort Lauderdale Country Club.
 
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 fourth-year coach Eric Booker, a member of the PGA Tour and Web.com Tour (formerly the Nationwide Series) for portions of 17 years from 1990-07. He has led the Eagles to a pair of wins in limited-field events the last two years, in addition to a tie for 1st at Stetson's Legacy Intercollegiate in February of 2018. 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 contribute, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.

ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 74 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 11+ seasons at the Division-I level. Additionally, in just seven+ seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 34 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Seven FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport – including both men's and women's soccer again in 2018. In 2016-17, the Green and Blue posted a department-best 6th-place finish in the DI-AAA Learfield Directors' Cup and top-100 showing nationally, ahead of several Power-5 and FBS institutions. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.35 GPA in the classroom in the Spring, 2018 and had an ASUN Conference and State of Florida best five teams earn the NCAA's Public Recognition Award for their Academic Progress Rate in their sport. The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours – being recognized as one of two runner-ups for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.
 
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