WAVERLY, Ga.- The Ave Maria University men's golf team got their fall season going this week, teeing off at the Coastal Georgia Fall Invitational. The Gyrenes finished sixth among the 15 teams at the tournament, which was held at Sanctuary Cove Golf Club in Waverly, Georgia. Ave Maria's five golfers proved to be remarkably consistent throughout the tournament, with all 15 rounds placing between 72 and 78 strokes.

Ty Kaufman began his sophomore season with a solid opening round in Georgia, shooting an even par 72. Kaufman carded three birdies, and was two-under through 15 holes before a pair of bogies. Gabriel DeCasas and Matt Mullen followed Kaufman with scores of 74, while the team score of 296 was rounded out by Alex Veneziano, who shot a 76 in his collegiate debut. 

The Gyrenes improved by two strokes in Monday's second round, shooting a 294. The score was once again led by an even par score, this time provided by DeCasas. The senior racked up five birdies in his second round, shooting a 72. Kaufman wasn't far behind with a 73, and Eric Cherubini added to the team score for the first time with a 74. Both Mullen and Veneziano shot a 75 to finish off the team score.

Once again, Ave Maria's top scorer changed for the third round, with two golfers leading the way for the Gyrenes. Cherubini and Veneziano were the top Gyrenes in Tuesday's final round, carding rounds of 75. Kaufman was one shot behind that duo at 76, while Mullen joined Kaufman in the AMU team score with a round of 76.

All five Gyrenes finished the tournament in the top half of the field of 84 golfers. Kaufman was the top AMU finisher in Waverly, shooting a five-over 221 to place in the top 20. DeCasas was second among AMU players, carding an overall score of 224. Cherubini, Veneziano, and Mullen all finished the week with the identical score of 226.

Dalton State was the runaway winner in the team competition, posting a team score of 14 under par to top St. Thomas University by nine strokes. Much of Dalton State's victory was powered by individual champion Jack Whaley, who finished the tournament with a score of eight under par.

This week's Coastal Georgia tournament was the first of four tournaments on the schedule for the Gyrenes this fall. The remaining three will come within the confines of the state of Florida, beginning September 25 and 26. Dalton State will host the Invite at Innisbrook, held in the Tampa area in Palm Harbor.