WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.- The Ave Maria University men's golf team competed admirably against some of the best teams in the nation this week, placing sixth at the Keiser Kup in West Palm Beach. Playing at the Okeeheelee Golf Course, the Gyrenes continued to make a case for inclusion in the next NAIA Top 25, finishing six strokes ahead of No. 21 Marian. AMU carded a three-round score of 883, just one stroke back of St. Thomas for fifth.
The Gyrenes played well in a rain-soaked first round, which started Sunday and continued into Monday due to the elements. Gabriel DeCasas and Matt Mullen led the way, both shooting even par scores of 71. Alex Veneziano was three strokes behind the duo with a score of 74, and Ty Kaufman completed the Gyrenes' team score of 294 with a round of 78.
Ave Maria's best round of the week came on Monday, shooting a team score of 289, just five strokes over par. Three Gyrene golfers - DeCasas, Veneziano, and Kaufman - all shot even par rounds of 71. After shooting an even par round in his first round, Mullen rounded out the Gyrene team score with a score of 76.
DeCasas finished his week with his best round on Tuesday, the only Gyrene to do so. DeCasas shot a two-under 69, making three birdies and one bogey. Mullen was just two over par with a score of 73, while Kaufman ended the week with a round of 77. Ave Maria's fourth counting score in their team round of 300 was a tie, with both Veneziano and Derek Callahan shooting an 81.
In a field stacked with some of the nation's best players, DeCasas finished tied for sixth with a two-under score of 211. DeCasas was the best player in the field on par threes, finishing two under on the course's shortest holes. Mullen was second among Gyrenes at 220, while Veneziano and Kaufman, ended their tournaments with 54 hole scores of 226. Callahan rounded the AMU effort with a 243.
The host Keiser University Seahawks, the nation's second-ranked team, held off a charge from No. 9 Texas Wesleyan on the final day of competition, winning the team title by three shots. Including DeCasas, eight golfers went under par in West Palm Beach, led by Keiser's Isac Wallin, who held off the competition on Tuesday to win the title with a six under par score of 207, defeating Palm Beach Atlantic's Justus Verge by one shot.
AMU will have two weeks to prepare for their final stroke play event before next month's Sun Conference Championships. The Gyrenes will head to the Marlins Invitational in Virginia Beach, Virginia, a tournament hosted by Virginia Wesleyan University. AMU tees off in Virginia on March 18, with play concluding the following day.
