ATHENS, Ga. – After a four-under-par performance, including a pair of birdies on the final two holes, FGCU senior Van Holmgren (Plymouth, Minn./Waysata HS/North Dakota State) won the 2021 ASUN Men's Golf Championship Tournament to earn a spot in the upcoming NCAA Regionals. His score of 67 alongside a pair of one under performances from sophomores Frankie Capan III (North Oaks, Minn./Northwest Christian HS/Alabama) and Jon Hopkins (Bishop's Stortford, England/Mississippi Gulf Coast CC) helped the Eagles finish second overall with a strong chance of earning at at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament.
 
"I'm really proud of our student-athletes; they did a tremendous job today on the course," said head coach Andrew Danna. "We came away with a good result as a team and then Van going birdie-birdie to capture the ASUN individual title. I continue to be encouraged by our team and look forward to the future of our program."
 
Holmgren became the first-ever FGCU player to win the individual title at the ASUN Championship Tournament and the fourth player to reach the NCAA Tournament. Jake Sherwin did so in 2015, while Brandon Pena and Edward Figueroa earned spots in 2012 and 2013, respectively. If the Eagles are to earn an at-large berth as a team, it would be the first time in program history and the first time any FGCU program has earned an at-large berth to NCAA postseason play.
 
Overall, FGCU had its second best round of the season at 278, which also stands as the Eagles' best-ever round in the ASUN Tournament, to finish with a 54-hole score of 845. The three-day score also stands as FGCU's best-ever in the ASUN Tournament. The second place team finish tied for the best mark by the program in the ASUN Tournament which was originally set in 2010.
 
No. 13 Liberty won the overall team title with a score of 832 and tied FGCU's 278 for Tuesday's best team total for the final round.
 
Holmgren shot four under on the back nine as he set up a dramatic finish to the day. With a birdie on No. 17, he tied the individual leader in North Florida's Nick Gabrelcik – the No. 2 player in the nation – who had already finished the round. On the par four, 488 yard 18^th hole, Holmgren calmly sank a short putt for birdie to give him the individual title with a three-day best 67 and a spot on the All-Tournament Team.
 
Joining Holmgren in the top 10 was Capan who converted three birdies on the front nine to hit the turn at three under. He added his fourth on the day on No. 11 before running into trouble with bogeys on No. 14 and No. 15 and then a double on No. 16. He closed out the round with a birdie on No. 17 and went par on No. 18 to finish with a one-under 70 to tie for seventh.
 
Hopkins also shot 70 for the day on the strength of another big performance on the back nine. After going even on the front side, he was par-or-better on the final eight holes including three birdies which tied him for 12^th overall.
 
Freshman Austin Cherichella (Orlando, Fla./Lake Nona HS) tied for 19^th overall with a three-over 74 on Tuesday, while junior Brady Madsen (Raymond, Minn./MacCray HS/Winona State) tied for 22^nd overall as he finished the day even (71). Cherichella had three birdies on the front side, while Madsen closed the day with two birdies and six evens.
 
FGCU is also in contention for an NCAA at-large berth thanks to its No. 66 ranking entering the week in GolfStat.com. The NCAA field will officially be announced on Wednesday, May 5 on the Golf Channel.
 
FGCU Lineup:
1 – Van Holmgren – 69-68-67 – 204
T7 – Frankie Capan III – 72-68-70 – 210
T12 – Jon Hopkins – 73-72-70 – 215
T19 – Austin Cherichella – 73-74-74 – 221
T22 – Brady Madsen – 71-81-71 – 223
 
ASUN Tournament Field:
1 - #13 Liberty – 273-281-278 – 832
2 - #66 FGCU – 285-282-278 – 845
3 - #71 Jacksonville – 280-283-287 – 850
4 - #18 North Florida – 288-285-288 – 861
6 - North Alabama – 291-294-292 – 877
5 - #130 Kennesaw State – 287-290-303 – 880
8 - #149 Lipscomb – 299-303-286 – 888
7 - #181 Stetson – 298-301-301 – 900
9 - #266 Bellarmine – 305-311-315 – 931
 
For complete coverage of FGCU men's golf, follow the Eagles on Twitter and Instagram (@FGCU_MGolf), Facebook (@FGCUAthletics), and online at www.FGCUAthletics.com. You can also sign-up to have news on FGCU men's golf and all 15 sport programs delivered directly to your inbox by visiting www.fgcuathletics.com/email.


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ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 85 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 13+ seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just nine seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 40 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Eight FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport - including women's basketball (No. 21, 2020-21), beach volleyball (No. 20, 2021) and both men's soccer (2018, 2019) and women's soccer (2018) as three of the most recent. In 2016-17, the Green and Blue posted a department-best sixth-place finish in the DI-AAA Learfield Directors' Cup and top-100 showing nationally, ahead of several Power-5 and FBS institutions. In 2018-19, the Eagles had an ASUN and state of Florida best seven teams earn the NCAA's Public Recognition Award for their Academic Progress Rate in their sport. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.50 GPA in the classroom in the fall 2020 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 23 consecutive semesters. The 2019 Fall, 2020 Spring, and 2020 Fall semesters each saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher team GPA. The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours in 2017 - being recognized as one of two runners-up for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.