The Penn State men's golf team saved the best for last.
In its final tournament of the fall season, the Nittany Lions finished second at the Renaissance Invitational in Fort Myers, Fl.
The team posted an overall score of 834, finishing only two strokes back from the tournament winner, Indiana. Coach Greg Nye said he is very proud of what his team accomplished, especially because it was without regular starter senior Jim Markovitz because of tendonitis in his right wrist.
"We were in seventh place after the first round, so I was happy the way our guys kept fighting," Nye said. "It really showed the heart and character of this team."
The team was led by senior Kevin Foley, who ended up at 14-under par. His score of 202 was good enough to leave him tied for second individually. The Penn State senior finished only two strokes back of Indiana senior Alex Martin, who won the tournament. Foley said the course conditions and the weather were ideal for putting up solid scores, because temperatures were warm and dry while the wind was basically nonexistent. He wasn't the only Lion to take advantage of the conditions, however.
Freshman Ernie Marin finished ninth individually after shooting rounds of 69, 69 and 72. Marin's stellar play helped him to capture the best finish of his collegiate career. Even though his team carded its best scores of the season, Marin said it still came up short.
"It was a great ending to the season, even though we wanted to win this one," Marin said. "We were all really motivated to come down here so this just shows what we're capable of."
After the second round Sunday, Penn State was in third place and only eight shots back of the then-leading Campbell University. When the Lion golfers woke up Monday morning, the tournament seemed to be within reach, causing them to post the best team round of the day.
Prior to this tournament, the golf team had yet to show how well it could play. It had a record of 22-34-2 and was in dire need to beat any teams it could to help qualify for the NCAA golf tournament in the spring. Teams must have a record of at least .500 after both the fall and spring seasons to qualify for the post season.
Penn State now has a record of 32-35-2, putting it at nearly .500 and giving the Lions a little more breathing room once they resume their 2009-10 season in February. Foley said that he and his teammates are already looking forward to getting back in season in a few months.
"It feels good to play well in one tournament, but it also adds a lot of positives to our overall goal," Foley said. "We still have to keep focus in the long run, but we probably couldn't have asked for a better finish to the fall."
