Men's Golf | 10/31/2024 10:10:00 PM

LAKELAND, Fla.- The Ave Maria University men's golf team completed the fall schedule this week, playing at the Southeastern University Invitational in Lakeland. Held at The Grasslands Golf and Country Club, the event featured five schools currently ranked among the top 35 teams in the nation. The Gyrenes topped two of these top 35 teams, finishing fourth in a field of eleven teams. 

Ty Kaufman was Ave Maria's top player throughout the first day of action, and his efforts started with Monday's opening round. The junior made four birdies and finished with a first round 71, one under par. Matt Mullen and Alex Veneziano followed, both shooting three-over scores of 75. AMU's team score of 299 was rounded out by Joe Hamilton, who finished with a six-over score of 78.

Kaufman shot his second straight round of par or better in the second round, firing a 72 in the second round played on Monday. His effort was matched by Mullen, whose even par score of 72 was buoyed by an eagle on the par five fourth role. Veneziano finished third among Gyrenes with an eight-over score of 80, and Benny Achziger made his debut in the team score with an 82, giving the Gyrenes a score of 306 on the day.

In the final round, the Gyrenes were the second best team in the field, shooting a team score of 295 that was just seven strokes over par. Veneziano led the way with the best AMU round of the tournament, a two-under 70 that featured another eagle on the fourth. Mullen followed with a 74, while Kaufman ended his tournament with a three-over 75. Hamilton ended the tournament with his best round of the week, shooting a four-over 76.

Entering the tournament as the 66th ranked player in the nation, Kaufman finished fourth overall with a two-over score of 218. Mullen also finished in the top ten, tying for ninth with a 221. Veneziano, the 55th ranked player in the nation, moved up 19 spots on the final day and finished in the top 15 with a score of 225. Ave Maria's efforts in Lakeland were rounded out by a 242 from Hamilton and a 246 from Achziger.

One of two non-Sun Conference teams in attendance, Texas Wesleyan University, won the team title by eight shots over St. Thomas, rallying from an eleven shot deficit at the beginning of the day. The individual title was a rout, as the 16th ranked player in the nation, Sam Dykema of Indiana Wesleyan, shot a 65 in the second round and cruised to a five shot victory.

The Southeastern University Invitational served as the last of Ave Maria's four tournaments during the fall season. Ave Maria will resume play after the first of the year, with the full schedule to be announced. The spring season will prepare the Gyrenes for the toughest conference tournament in NAIA golf, The Sun Conference Championships, which are scheduled for April 26-29 at the Pine Lakes Course at Jekyll Island Golf Club in Georgia.