FINAL RESULTS

BOCA RATON, Fla.– Trailing by eight strokes in the middle of the final round, the No. 14 Nova Southeastern University men’s golf team shot a combined total of four over par on its back nine to come back and defeat No. 7 Barry by one shot with a total score of nine over par 873 (290-287-296) at the 6,714 yard, par 72 Boca Country Club in Boca Raton, Fla.

"After nine holes, I knew we weren’t out of it and the players seemed to know that too as they just kept plugging away on the back nine,” head coach Kevin Marsh said.

Heading into the final round with a two shot lead, Ricardo Celia (Fr., Barranquilla, Columbia) played beyond his years. Leading the tournament by one shot when he started his round, he began with two birdies in his first four holes. Celia looked to be on cruise control before catching the dreaded bogey train in the middle of his round. Faced with adversity, Celia birdied his last hole with a 15-foot putt on 18 to capture the win for the Sharks.

Celia shot a one under par 215 (72-67-76) for the tournament which tied him for first place with Barry’s Daniel Stapff which meant a playoff for the individual title. Stapff drained an eagle putt on the second playoff hole to win the individual medalist.

“After the match, I went up to Ricardo and I told him that I was proud of the birdie he made on the last hole for the team," Marsh said. "It showed how to grind out a victory and make a putt when it counted for your team.”

The Sharks posted a total of four players in the top 13 for the tournament. Bobby Bode (Sr., Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) followed Celia with a fourth place finish. Bode rebounded after his second round 78 from yesterday with a final round of even par 72 to finish at four over par 220 (70-78-72) for the tournament.

Jack Bartlett (Sr., Worthing, England) finished in a tie for 10th place after firing a two over par 74 in Tuesday’s final round. Bartlett, who won the individual medalist in the Sharks last showing at the Buccaneer Invitational two weeks ago, tallied two birdies and four bogeys in his final round. The senior totaled a six over par score of 222 (78-70-74) for the three rounds.

Carding two double-bogeys on his front nine, Ben Vertz (Jr., Coral Springs, Fla.) bounced back with two birdies in his last 10 holes to fire a two over par 74, totaling seven over par 223 (72-77-74) for the three rounds and a tie for 13th place.

Mitch Farrer's (Fr., West Sussex, England) struggles continued as he carded a triple bogey on his third hole on Tuesday and never recovered, eventually carding a 12 over par score of 84 for the round. Overall, the freshman shot a 17 over par 233 for the tournament, earning him a tie for 36th place.

As a team, this win marks the first win for the Sharks this season.

Barry followed NSU with a second place finish at 10 over par 874 for the three rounds. No. 5 Lynn followed the Bucs with a score of 16 over par 880 and third place for the tournament. Florida Tech finished in fourth at 27 over par, 891, while Saint Leo rounded out the top-five with a 32 over par score of 896.

“The team goal at the beginning of the year is geared around the regional tournament,” Marsh said. “Even though I am thrilled about the victory today, I walked away with a list of things to work on before the regional tournament because we know to qualify for nationals you must do well at regionals.”

With the win the Sharks automatically qualify for the NCAA South Regional Tournament. NSU will travel to Deland, Fla. for the NCAA South/South Central Super Regional hosted at the Victoria Hills Country Club May 2-4.