Men's golf team set to compete at national tournament

The Eastern Florida State College men's golf team is back in the NJCAA Division I National Tournament this week in Kansas, teeing off Tuesday for the first round.

The Titans feel good after finishing the NJCAA Southeast District Championship in second place after the final round was washed out.

"They are all looking forward to going, districts was disappointing with the final round getting washed out but they showed up and they played well," Eastern Florida State College men's golf coach Jamie Howell said. "For them, it was good. We saw what was possible. There are 24 teams in the tournament and if we play really well and put some pressure on other teams, who knows."

Sophomores Masen McKain and Hugo Griesheimer tied for fourth in the tournament and are leading a strong group back to the national tournament.

McKain, Griesheimer and Micke Laurelli all made the all-district team.

"We still have not played our best, but it is coming," Laurelli said. "We have all been practicing hard and I feel like this is the best the group has looked all season."

Freshman Horace Pennix agrees, this team's best golf is ahead of them.

"I feel like the season went well but we did not reach our full potential, all of us never really banged on all cylinders and I feel like we are ready to do that in Kansas," freshman Horace Pennix siad. "We are ready, I feel like all of us have the potential to go out and shoot well."

This season the national tournament is back at Sand Creek Station in Newton, Kansas.

"There is a bunch of holes out there so you can't get hung up by a bogey or a double, you have a lot of holes to make it up so you have to just put it behind you and move on. Grind it out and go as low as you can," McKain said. "It is about seeing the course and adapting to it before you step up in the first round. Just getting used to all of the different features in Kansas.

"We want to be in the top five, I believe this team can do that, it is just a matter of how well we adapt and prepare for the tournament."

The tournament will begin Tuesday, May 14 with the final round slated for Friday, May 17.