April 5, 2008
PENSACOLA, Fla. - The West Florida Men's golf team is the current #1 team in the nation, and they will put that ranking up for defense this next week, as they host a stellar field in the 2008 Emerald Coast Collegiate Tournament. The event takes place at the Tiger Point Country Club in Gulf Breeze on Monday and Tuesday, April 7th and 8th.
The third Golf World/Nike Golf Division II coaches' poll was released this week, and the West Florida Argonauts jumped past Sonoma State to reclaim the top spot in the poll. UWF was #1 in the first poll, and slipped to #2 in the second poll, but coming off their third tournament victory (The Bobcat Invitational) to finish off March, the Argos jumped back into the #1 spot.
West Florida earned four of the 10 first place votes, while Sonoma State and Florida Southern received the other first place votes. The Argos just defeated Sonoma State by 29 strokes in the Bobcat Invitational. In the rankings, Sonoma State and Florida Southern were 2nd and 3rd respectively, while CSU-Stanislaus and USC-Aiken were fourth and fifth. Two other Gulf South Conference schools were in the top 25, with Valdosta State (No. 7) and North Alabama (No. 18).
Both Valdosta State and North Alabama will be challenging the Argos this week at Tiger Point. The tournament includes three top 10 teams, with No. 10 Georgia College & State University joining the Argos and Valdosta State. Five other teams that are ranked in the top 25 are also in the event, making eight of the 17 teams in the event ranked in the top 25 nationally. The other teams include Lynn (13th), Abilene Christian (16th), North Alabama (18th), Cameron (23rd), and Midwestern State (25th).
The first two rounds of the tournament will be played on Monday, April 7th, with a shotgun start at 8:00 am. The final round is set for Tuesday, with tee times starting at 7:30 am. Head Coach Steve Fell commented on the upcoming tournament, "the East course at Tiger Point always provides a good stern test and if the weather conditions aren't favorable, then its all the golf course you can handle...although it will test all aspects of your game regardless of the conditions."
"Hopefully the team can continue to play the way we did at our last tournament (Bobcat Invitational) winning by 29 shots over the #2 team Sonoma State," stated Coach Fell in response to how his team is playing. "This spring we've mostly played really well, winning two tournaments, with the other by 13 shots over the University of Illinois (Argonaut Invitational at Pensacola Country Club), and our other finishes have been a 2nd, 3rd and 4th , finishing from 4 to 7 shots back of the winning team." Fell continued, "so we've had a very solid spring and I think we're starting to gain a little more confidence as we head into the post season."
The Argos have been crowned champions in three of the eight tournaments they have participated in this year. They took first place out of 18 teams in The McLaughlin at Bethpage (NY), back in September, in which they out scored eleven Division I schools, including St. Johns on the final day by two strokes. Kyle Scott took the individual prize with a 10 under par score, while teammate Tobias Rosendahl was second.
In the first tournament of the spring season, the Argos had three players finish in the top ten, and the team finished 2nd out of 15 teams at the Matlock in Lakeland, Florida. Matthew Galloway was the overall winner at six under par, while Kyle Scott finished fifth, and Tobias Rosendahl also finished in the top 10.
In late February, the Argos won their own Argonaut Invitational at the Pensacola Country Club, in an event with 10 teams, including several Division I opponents. Otto Bonning finished 2nd overall with a seven under par, just one stroke off the lead.
In March, the Argos finished third at the Samford Invitational, while Matthew Galloway turned in the Argos first hole in one of the year, at the Limestone Springs Golf Course. Then, just over a week ago, the Argos cruised to a 29 stroke win at the Bobcat Invitational in Eatonton, Georgia. Tobias Rosendahl won the tournament by four strokes, and the Argos placed two others in the top 10, with Otto Bonning fifth, and Matthew Galloway at 8th best. Rosendahl has finished in the top 10 individually in every tournament that the Argos have participated in this year.
The seventeen team tournament at Tiger Point on Monday is entirely a Division II field, with 8 teams ranked in the top-25 in the Golf World/NIKE Golf Coaches Poll. In addition, the entire field is comprised of teams from the South/South Central Super Region, and seven teams are from the Gulf South Conference. Therefore, the tournament is a prelude to conference and regional championships, as the Argos have high hopes for the remainder of the season.