OPELIKA, Ala. – A sensational start to the opening day of the Tiger Invitational host by Auburn has the FGCU men's golf team in first place after shooting 27 under par setting a new program record for 36 holes. Play was suspended on Sunday evening with the tournament trying to get as many rounds recorded ahead of forecasted inclement weather in the area. It was originally slated to be 18 holes on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday.
 
Frankie Capan III is the current leader at 133, while Austin Cherichella is tied for second just four strokes behind. Brady Madsen is tied for fourth (14), while Jon Hopkins and Pierre Viallaneix are tied for 31^st (146).
 
"I'm proud of the guys; we played two good rounds today," said head coach Andrew Danna. "We need to keep up our play tomorrow and we're looking forward to competing again."
 
The Eagles finished both rounds with a score of 549 after going 274 in the first and 275 in the second. The 36 hole score of 549 was the second-best total score in program history.
 
Host No. 19 Auburn also completed both rounds on Sunday (564) to sit 15 strokes behind the Eagles. Auburn's B-Team is tied for third alongside Georgia State and Southern Miss at one-under. Along with FGCU and Auburn, Louisiana Tech was the only other team in the field to finish both rounds (578).
 
The Eagles finished the day with 47 birdies and three Eagles, while shooting 23-under on par 5 holes.
 
Both Capan and Madsen tied the FGCU record for low rounds as each carded 64s on the day. Madsen did so in the first round, while Capan did so in the second.
 
All told, four players had at least one round in the 60s with Capan also firing a 69 in the first round to go with his 64 in the afternoon. Only three round scores from the day for the Eagles were over par.
 
Cherichella led all players with 12 birdies, while Madsen had 10 and Hopkins had nine. Capan also led the field with a pair of eagles, while Madsen and Lucas Fallotico each had one.
 
The Eagles will start third round play at 9 AM tomorrow with live scoring available on www.GolfStat.com.
 
Tiger Invitational by Jason Dufner
Grand National Lake Course – Par 72 – 7,289 yards
 
FGCU Lineup:
1 – Frankie Capan III – 69-64 – 133
T2 – Austin Cherichella – 71-66 – 137
T4 – Brady Madsen – 64-76 – 140
T20 – Lucas Fallotico (Indiv) – 73-(-1) -- Even
T31 – Jon Hopkins – 77-69 – 146
T31 – Pierre Viallaneix – 70-76 – 146
 
Tiger Invitational Tournament Field:
1 - #59 FGCU – 274-275 – 549  
2 - #19 Auburn – 281-283 – 564
T3 - Auburn (B) – 293-(-1)
T3 - #165 Georgia State – 290-(-1)
T3 - #78 Southern Mississippi – 286-(-1)
6 - #140 UNCW – 288-(E)
7 - #111 Louisiana Tech – 282-296 – 578
8 - #52 Missouri – 288-(+3)
9 - #161 Wichita State – 297-(+6)
10 - #126 James Madison – 294-(+10)
11 - #83 South Alabama – 291-(+11)
T12 - #86 Lamar – 302-(+13)
T12 - #103 Florida Atlantic – 296-(+13)
14 - #198 Western Kentucky – 303-(+20)
T15 - North Alabama – 308-(+24)
T15 - #196 Kennesaw State – 297-(+24)
 
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HEAD COACH ANDREW DANNA:
Danna is in his third year at the helm of the FGCU men's golf program after leading the Eagles to a second-place finish at the 2021 ASUN Championship and being named the program's first-ever ASUN Coach of the Year. One of the best turnarounds in NCAA history saw the Green and Blue, led by Van Holmgren who became the first player to earn PING All-Region honors, jump from No. 257 in the final 2019-20 GolfStat.com rankings to a then program-best 65 to close out 2020-21. The Eagles set a new program-best during the 2022 season at No. 59 in the GolfStat.com rankings. Holmgren won the ASUN Championship individual title to qualify for the NCAA Regionals. Before taking over in Fort Myers, he served the 2018-19 season as the assistant at LSU. Prior to that he was the ultra-successful head coach for six years at Lynn University where he led them to the 2018 NCAA Division II national championship and was, subsequently, chosen the David Williams National Coach of the Year. He also led the Fighting Knights to three national runner-up placements, with a third and eighth place finish in his other two seasons.
  
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ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 89 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 14+ seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just 10 seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 43 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. 20, 2021-22), beach volleyball (No. 20, 2022) 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 25 consecutive semesters. The past five semesters (Fall 2019 – Fall 2021) each saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher team GPA in each. 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.
 
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