2008 Men's Golf - Year In Review
Trey Jones, Head Coach
Chris Malloy, Assistant Coach
Click here to see individual mug shots
2008 Men's Golf - Year In Review | |
| Coaching Staff Trey Jones, Head Coach Chris Malloy, Assistant Coach Click here to see individual mug shots |
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Drew Kittleson, 5-11, Scottsdale, Ariz.
Seminole Golfers Blixt And Savage Earn All-ACC Honors; Jones Named ACC Coach of the Year.
Blixt and Savage earn All-ACC for second consecutive year.
TALLAHASSEE, FL - Florida State's Jonas Blixt and Matt Savage were named to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference men's golf team and Seminole head coach Trey Jones was named the ACC Coach of the Year as
selected by a vote of the league's 11 head coaches. It marked the second consecutive season that both Blixt and Savage have earned All-ACC honors and marked the first time in school history two
players from Florida State had earned All-ACC honors in men's golf in consecutive years. For Jones it marks the first time the men's golf coach at Florida State has been named the ACC Coach of the
Year.
Florida State, which won the 2008 ACC Championship on April 20, will play in the NCAA Regional Championship May 15-17. The Seminoles and the entire three-regional field of 81 will find out their
regional destinations when they are announced by the NCAA on Monday night at 6:00 p.m. The Seminoles will make their third consecutive NCAA regional championship under Jones who is in his fifth season
at Florida State. Florida State won the chance to play in the NCAA Championship as the automatic qualifier from the ACC after winning the first ever ACC golf championship in school history. The
Seminoles are playing in their third consecutive NCAA regional for the first time since the 1994, 1995 and 1996 seasons.
Blixt and Savage are the second and third players in school history to earn All-ACC honors multiple times during their Seminoles careers. Christian Raynor, who earned All-ACC honors in 1994 and 1995
was the first two-time honoree in school history.
"For Jonas and Matt to earn All-ACC honors two years in a row says a lot about their character and how hard they have worked to improve as players," said Jones. "This award for Jonas and Matt is a
reward for their development, the amount of work they have put in to improve as golfers, to mature as people and to become leaders for our team."
Blixt, the No. 7 ranked individual golfer in the nation, has earned one individual victory, five top-five finishes, seven top-10 finishes and finished inside of the top 13 in nine of his 10 tournament
outings. His individual finishes are bolstered by Florida State's No. 10 strength of schedule; he has a winning record against players ranked in the nation's top 25 (32-24-3), the top 50 (69-43-8) and
the top 100 (141-58-10). Blixt's 32 wins against top 25 ranked players is more than any other player in the ACC. He enters the 2008 NCAA Regional Championship with a career-low 71.43 stroke average
and is the ACC leader with 11 rounds scored in the 60's.
Savage owns a career-low 72.22 stroke average and finished at minus eight under par in finishing in tied for third with Blixt at the 2008 ACC Championship. He is a cumulative total of plus five
strokes over par in the spring of 2008 including a total of minus five strokes under par in the US Collegiate Championship and ACC Championship combined. Savage finished in a tie for third at the ACC
Championship to lead Florida State to its first ever team championship and carded this year's team-low single round score of 66 in the second round of the Fighting Illini Invitational.
For Jones it marks the fourth time in his career that he has earned Coach of the Year honors; he was named the Trans America Athletic Conference (now known as the Atlantic Sun) Coach of the Year in
1998, 2000 and 2001. In 2008 the Seminoles won the first ACC Championship in school history, have won three tournament championships, won the first team championship for the program since 1998 and are
currently ranked 10th nationally. The Seminoles' team stroke average of 72.43 is nearly three strokes below the team average the year before he became Jones head coach for the 2004-05 season.
"Golf on the collegiate level is a team sport and that's what these awards are all about," said Jones. "Jonas and Matt are outstanding golfers, and with the help of their teammates, have helped us
become a successful team this year. My congratulations go out to those two players for earning All-ACC honors and will go out to our entire team tonight when the field for the NCAA regionals are
announced. I know that both Jonas and Matt would rather win team awards at this time of the season and fortunately those awards are out there for us to play for. This is a very exciting time of the
year for our team."
Second consecutive appearance on team for Seminole senior.
TALLAHASSEE, FL - Florida State University senior All-America Jonas Blixt has been named to the European Palmer Cup Team for the second consecutive year in 2008. The annual Ryder Cup-style competition
will be played June 26-27 at the Glasgow Golf Club Gailes Links as the top collegiate players from the United States tee off against their counterparts from Europe. The European team - who will be
coached by Marten Olander of Sweden - has won the past two events in Europe but trails the United States in the series, 6-4-1.
Blixt won three of his four matches last year but was unable to lift Europe past the United States in the 2007 Palmer Cup at Caves Valley Country Club in Baltimore, Md. He earned a 1-1 record in
individual matches and was a perfect 2-0 in doubles competition.
Blixt will be joined by Stirling University's Scott Borrowman, Johnnie Caldwell of South Alabama, Indiana's Jorge Campillo, Jonas Enander Hedin of Charlotte, Tennessee's Charlie Ford, Gareth Shaw of
East Tennessee State and Southern California's Tim Sluiter on the European team. Blixt, Campillo and Shaw competed in last year's matches.
The Seminole men's golf team, led by All-America teammates of Blixt and Matt Savage, won their first ever Atlantic Coast Conference championship on April 20 as they defeated Duke by three strokes at
the 55th Annual ACC Championship at the Old North State Club at Uwharrie Point. The Seminoles defeated the Blue Devils by four stokes in the third round as they rallied from a one stroke deficit after
two rounds to claim the school's first ever ACC championship in the sport of golf.
The Seminoles are currently awaiting the announcement of the NCAA Regional teams on May 5. As the champion of the ACC, the Seminoles have earned an automatic bid and will play in the regional for a
third consecutive year under fifth-year head coach Trey Jones. It will mark the first time since the 1994, 1995 and 1996 seasons that the Seminoles will play in three consecutive NCAA Tournaments.
Blixt earned his bachelor's degree in multinational business operations in April of 2008 only five days after leading the Seminoles to the ACC men's golf championship.
Blixt is first Seminole since 1995 to earn All-America First-Team honors.
TALLAHASSEE, FL - Florida State University senior golfer Jonas Blixt, who led the Seminoles to a No. 7 national ranking by Golf World Magazine, has earned PING All-America First-Team honors as
selected by the Golf Coaches Association of America. It marks the second consecutive season Blixt has earned All-American honors; he was an All-America Second-Team selection as a junior in 2007.
He is the first Florida State golfer to earn All-America honors twice in his career since Christian Raynor was a first-team selection in 1995 and a second team selection in 1994. He is only the third
player in school history to earn All-America first and second team honors during his career. He joins Raynor and the famed Nolan Henke who was an All-America First-Team selection in 1987 and an
All-America Second-Team selection in 1985 and 1986.
"It's great to be named All-America because it's a great thing for the Florida State program," said Blixt. "I am happy for our team because it takes five good players in every tournament to be
successful enough to have even one player be an All-American. It's a very special honor and one that I am very proud to earn. There are more All-Americans to come from Florida State every year because
Coach (Trey) Jones has developed this team into one of the top programs in all of college golf."
Blixt (Hammaro, Sweden) recently completed his Seminole career as one of the most decorated players in school history. In addition to being a two-time All-America he earned All-ACC honors twice (2007
and 2008), won the ACC Individual Championship in 2007 (the first golfer in Florida State history to earn medalist honors at the ACC Championship) and led the Seminoles to the first ever ACC title in
the sport of golf in 2008. He was a semifinalist for the Jack Nicklaus, the Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson Awards as the nation's top male collegiate golfer during his senior season.
During his career he led the Seminoles to the 2007 NCAA Championship finals, three NCAA regional championship appearances and to the 2008 ACC Championship. The Seminoles' appearance in the 2007 NCAA
Championship finals marked the first time since 1996 that Florida State had qualified for the finals while the Seminoles' three appearances in regional championship competition marked the first time
since the 1994, 1995 and 1996 seasons that they had made three consecutive regional championship appearances.
Blixt led Florida State to three team championships during his senior season - the Inverness Intercollegiate in the fall and the Seminole Intercollegiate and the ACC Championship in the spring.
Florida State's victory at the Inverness Intercollegiate was Florida State's first team championship since the 1998 season and the three team wins for the Seminoles in 2007-08 marked the first time
since the 1994-95 fall and spring seasons that they had won at least three tournaments in a single year.
His career-low single-round score of 65 came in the third round of the 2007 ACC Championship to help him earn medalist honors in the top conference championship in the nation. Including the 2007 ACC
individual championship, he earned medalist honors four times during his career - at the Gator Invitational during the spring of 2005, the Shoal Creek Intercollegiate during the fall of 2006, at the
ACC Championship during the spring of 2007 and in leading the Seminoles to the team championship at the Inverness Intercollegiate in the fall of 2007. Blixt earned 15 career-top-10 finishes including
a career-high seven during his junior season and six during his senior season.
Blixt averaged 72.75 strokes in 135 rounds in 45 tournaments during his remarkable Seminole career.
All-America golfer wins a prestigious amateur championship.
July 8, 2008
PINEHURST, NC - Matt Savage, a rising senior member of the ACC Champion Florida State Men's Golf Team, defeated Jamie Lovemark to earn medalist honors at the 108th North and South Amateur Championship
on Pinehurst No. 2 on July 6. The Seminole All-America and two-time All-ACC selection sank a birdie putt on the fourth playoff hole to defeat Southern California's two-time All-America to win one of
the most nation's most prestigious amateur golf championships.
Savage, No. 44 in the Golfweek/Scratch Players World Amateur Rankings, sank a 4-foot birdie putt on the 40th hole (the par-5 fourth) to beat Lovemark and claim his first national amateur tournament
title.
"I really feel like I played well; well and consistently for the entire 40 holes," said Savage. "I have played at that level before but not in that big of a tournament and not for six straight days.
It (playing well) obviously came at a good time. I had been playing well over a couple of rounds recently but it all came together during the entire tournament for me."
Savage defeated Lovemark by making a three-foot putt for birdie on the fourth playoff hole, after Lovemark missed a 4-foot birdie attempt. Savage led Lovemark, who is No. 6 in world amateur rankings,
for much of the 36-hole championship round. Savage was three up after 18 holes but bogeyed the 22nd and 23rd holes and double bogeyed the 25th hole of the day to fall back into a tie. Savage regained
the lead on the 33rd hole with a 15-foot birdie, but Lovemark forced sudden death with a birdie from 6 feet on the 36th hole. Lovemark hit the greenside bunker on the 40th hole, but missed his birdie
opportunity. Savage's long eagle attempt left him three feet for birdie, forcing Lovemark to concede.
Savage forced the playoff as he chipped to 15 feet and then sank the pressure-packed par putt on the 36th hole of the day. With the match on the line, Lovemark rolled his birdie putt, which hit the
hole, circled around and fell into the cup to send the match into overtime.
"I had a feeling that he would make his birdie putt to tie the match," said Savage. "We both had the exact same putt on the 18th hole during the morning round. Jamie is too good a golfer not to make
birdie after he has played a very similar shot."
The first three extra holes were halved with pars. On the par-5 fourth, Savage hit his second shot from 270 yards to the front of the green to about 45 feet from the hole.
"We went right to the first hole to begin the playoff," he said. "It was kind of a bad deal for me because I had lost that hole twice to Jamie and six times during the earlier rounds of the
tournaments. We both made par on one, both missed the green on two and both hit next to the green on three and finished those three holes still tied.
"We went to the fourth hole and I hit a three wood from 270 to the green - it was one of the better three woods I have ever hit," he recalled. "Jamie missed the green and got to about eight feet on
his second shot. I made my putt from about three feet to win and his birdie attempt rolled by the hole."
Savage played well during the entire six-day tournament. He finished 12th (out of 132 golfers) during two rounds of stroke play with scores of 73-69 for a one-over par total of 142 on Pinehurst's No.
2 and No. 4 courses. He then won seven consecutive match play groupings to claim the championship. Savage defeated Hunter Howell, 2 and 1; Alex Martin, 4 and 3; Lucas Lee in 21 holes; Andrew Giuliani,
6 and 4; Adam Long, 4 and 3, in the semifinals and bested Lovemark in the championship final.
"It was an awesome feeling to win the championship," said Savage who estimated a gallery of more than 200 during the championship round. "I feel the win allowed me to prove to myself and a lot of
others that I can play with anybody. To play 40 holes and come out on top is a very big deal. Hopefully this is a start of good things to come. The first one is always the hardest to get - hopefully
this can be the start of something great for me."
"It was great to have the opportunity to play with Jamie," he said. "It's similar to playing with Tiger at this level. He is a great golfer and I respect him tremendously. The opportunity to play with
him was tremendous for me and I hope can take that experience and build on it."
Savage earned All-America Honorable Mention Honors in 2007 and is a two-time All-ACC selection in 2007 and 2008. His play during his first three years as a collegian and with his victory in this event
will help contend for numerous Player of the Year honors as a senior during the 2008-09 season. Savage helped lead the Seminoles to the 2008 ACC Championship - the first ACC championship in the sport
of golf in school history as he earned all-ACC and All-Southwest Regional All-American honors in 2008. He has played in one NCAA Championship final, three NCAA regional championships and three ACC
Championships during the first three years of his career. Savage finished in a tie for ninth at the 2007 NCAA Championship at the Golden Horseshoe Golf Club in Williamsburg, Va., and in a tie for
third place at the 2008 ACC Championship at the Old North State Club.
Savage will now look to qualify for the U.S. Amateur which will be held July 28-29 at the Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club in Palm Harbor, Fla.
2008 Roster - By Name
L
T PY
R Name Hgt Cl Ltr Hometown (Prior School)
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* Jonas Blixt 5-11 Sr *** Hammaro, Sweden (Tingvalla Gymnasiet)
James Byrd 6-1 Fr Windermere (Olympia)
* Song Jeon 5-10 Sr *** Seoul, South Korea (Saint John's Lutheran)
* Drew Kittleson 5-11 Fr Scottsdale, Ariz. (Pinnacle)
* Cameron Knight 5-9 So * Dade City (Wesley Chapel)
* Seath Lauer 6-4 So * Huntington, Ind. (Huntington North)
Bradley Ruch 6-0 Sr-R *** Louisville, Ky. (Saint Xavier)
* Tommy Rymer 6-3 Sr-R *** Hastings, Minn. (The Pendleton School/Texas)
* Matt Savage 5-10 Jr ** Louisville, Ky. (Saint Xavier)
Nicholas Smith 6-0 Jr ** Ocala (Belleview)
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.
2008 All-ACC Men's Golf Team
Name School Yr
Jonas Blixt Florida State Sr
Matt Savage Florida State Jr
Kyle Stanley Clemson So
Clark Klaasen Duke Jr
Michael Schachner Duke Sr
Chesson Hadley Georgia Tech So
Cameron Tringale Georgia Tech Jr
Chris Gold Maryland Jr
Kevin O'Connell North Carolina Fr
Matt Hill NC State Fr
Jurrian van der Vaart Virginia Tech Sr
Webb Simpson Wake Forest Sr
ACC Coach of the Year
Trey Jones, Florida State
ACC Player of the Year
Webb Simpson, Wake Forest
ACC Freshman of the Year
Kevin O'Connell, North Carolina
Seminoles' Blixt Named To 2008 European Palmer Cup Team.
Seminole Golfer Blixt Earns All-America First-Team Honors.
Seminole Men's Golfer Savage Wins Title At North And South Amateur Championship.
2008 Conference Awards
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Jonas Blixt Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference
Trey Jones Atlantic Coast Conference - Coach of the Year
Matt Savage Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference
All-Conference - 3
2008 All-Americans
Name Organization
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Jonas Blixt Golf Coaches Association of America - 1st Team All-American
Golf Week - 1st Team All-American
All-Americans - 1
2008 Schedule and Results
GAME |
SCORE |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inverness Intercollegiate September 10-11, 2007, Toledo, Ohio |
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| Ping Preview September 22-23, 2007, West Lafayette, Ind. |
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| Fighting Illini Invitational September 30-October 1, 2007, Olympia Fields, Ill. |
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| Isleworth Collegiate Invite October 21-23, 2007, Windermere, Fla. |
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| South Carolina Callaway Match Play Championship, Greensboro, Ga. |
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| Georgia State Callaway Match Play Championship, Greensboro, Ga. |
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| Lamar Callaway Match Play Championship, Greensboro, Ga. |
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| UNC-Charlotte Callaway Match Play Championship, Greensboro, Ga. |
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| All-American Golf Classic November 19-20, 2007, El Paso, Tex. |
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| Gator Invitational February 9-10, 2008, Gainesville, Fla. |
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| Seminole Intercollegiate March 2-4, 2008 |
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| General Hackler Invitational March 9-10, 2008, Myrtle Beach, S.C. |
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| US Collegiate Championship March 24-26, 2008, Alpharetta, Ga. |
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| Wolfpack Invitational April 11-13, 2008, Wallace, N.C. |
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| ACC Championship April 18-20, 2008, New London, N.C. |
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| NCAA West Regional Champ May 15-17, 2008, Bremerton, Wash. |
EOY StatsRef Overall Home Away Neutral ------------------------------------------------ FSU record is 3- 1 0- 0 0- 0 3- 1
2008 Atlantic Coast Conference Results 1 Florida State 838 2 Duke 841 3 North Carolina 846 4 Georgia Tech 847 5 Wake Forest 848 6t Clemson 858 6t North Carolina State 858 8 Virginia Tech 864 9 Virginia 868 10 Boston College 886 11 Maryland 906
2008 EOY Stats
Name Tournaments Rounds Par Low Strokes Wins Top10 Ave ======================================================================== Jonas Blixt 12 36 20 66 2,568 1 8 71.33 Matt Savage 11 33 16 66 2,407 0 4 72.94 Seath Lauer 10 30 10 67 2,214 0 2 73.80 Drew Kittleson 11 31 9 68 2,290 0 2 73.87 Nicholas Smith 1 3 0 72 222 0 0 74.00 Song Jeon 3 9 1 72 677 0 0 75.22 Cameron Knight 7 21 4 71 1,583 0 0 75.38 Tommy Rymer 4 12 1 70 907 0 0 75.58
Florida State Wins Inverness Intercollegiate Men's Golf Tournament.
Blixt finishes in a tie for first in individual standings at Inverness.
TOLEDO, OH - The Florida State University men's golf team won its first team championship since 1998 as the Seminoles claimed the title of the Inverness Intercollegiate at the Inverness Club. The team championship was the first for the Seminoles since winning the U.S. Collegiate Championship during the spring of 1998. Seminole senior All-America Jonas Blixt finished in a tie for first place in the individual standings to earn the fourth individual championship of his collegiate career.
Florida State set a tournament record with its team total of 862. The previous record was held by South Carolina with 876 in 2000. Blixt and Ryan Brehm (Michigan State) also set a new individual record by shooting a three-under par 210. They are the first golfers to be under par in the seven-year history of the Inverness Intercollegiate.
Florida State, which is ranked 15th in the nation in the pre-season poll by Golf Week Magazine, took the lead late in the first round and held the top spot for most of the remainder of the event to win the first team championship for Head Coach Trey Jones in his five-year career at Florida State. The win marks the fifth career championship for Jones and first since he led his Georgia State Panthers to the 2001 Trans Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament championship. The Seminoles defeated second place Michigan State by six strokes.
"To win a golf tournament against this quality of a field on a golf course that has held five major championships speaks highly of the talent and potential this team has," said Jones. "This is a special group of young men that have an ablility to raise their game to a high level coming down down the stretch in a golf tournament. They really picked up where they left off at the end of last season when they were successful in both the NCAA Regional and the NCAA Championship."
Blixt (Hammaro, Sweden) claimed his fourth career individual championship despite shooting a four-over par 75 in the third and final round. He entered the final round with a two stroke lead over Ryan Brehm of Michigan State. The pair finished the event tied with identical scores of 210 as Blixt carded a 75 in the final round and Brehm a 73. Both Blixt and Brehm began the final hole of the event tied and both players earned a birdie on the par four 18th hole to finish the match all square.
Junior All-America Matt Savage (Louisville, Ky.) finished in a tie for fifth place as he closed the event with a team-leading 71 in the third round. He moved from a tie for ninth place after two rounds to a tie for fifth in the final standings with his second score of even par or better in the tournament. Savage carded a three-under par 68 in the second round and finished with a 54-hole total of 214. He has now earned seven career top 10 finishes in 24 career events.
Sophomore Seath Lauer (Bloomington, Ind.) finished in a tie for 14th place in the individual standings to earn the third best finish of his career. He began the third round in a tie for 24th place and moved up 10 places in the individual standings. Lauer finished the event with a one-over par score of 72 in the third round and a 219 total for the event. He carded an even par 71 in the opening round.
Senior Tommy Rymer (Hastings, Minn.) earned the second best placing of his career as finished in a tie for 22nd in the individual standings. He carded a one-under par 70 in the second round and finished with a three-round total of 222. His three-round total of 222 is tied for the third best tournament score of his career.
Freshman Drew Kittleson (Scottsdale, Az.) played well in his first career collegiate event as he averaged 75.00 strokes in his three rounds played. He shot a three-over par 74 in the first round and finished with a 54-hole total of 225.
The Seminoles next event comes at the Ping Preview at Purdue's Bark Boilermaker Course on Sept. 22-23. The Bark Boilermaker course will play host to the NCAA Championship in May.
Seventh Annual Inverness Intercollegiate/Sept. 10-11, 2007/Par 71 Inverness Club/Toledo, Ohio/Final Team Results 1. Florida State 862 9. TCU 892 2. Michigan State 868 10. Toledo 895 3. Florida 869 11. Kent State 899 4. Texas A&M 873 12. UNLV 902 5. Louisville 875 13. Kentucky 906 6. Indiana 881 14. Missouri 908 7. Oklahoma State 884 15. Michigan 909 8. Southern California 886 16. UNC Greensboro 931
Name Place Rnd1 Rnd2 Rnd3 Total ========================= ===== ==== ==== ==== ===== Jonas Blixt 1t 67 68 75 210 Matt Savage 5t 75 68 71 214 Seath Lauer 14t 71 76 72 219 Tommy Rymer 22t 76 70 76 222 Drew Kittleson 36t 74 75 76 225
Seminole Men's Golf Team Finishes In Seventh Place At Power Packed PING/GolfWeek Preview.
Senior Blixt earns fifth place individual finish.
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - The No. 8 ranked Florida State men's golf team turned in the second-best team score of the final round and finished in seventh place in the team standings at the power-packed PING/GolfWeek Preview at the Kampen Course at Birk Boilermaker Golf Complex. The Seminoles began the final round in 11th place and gained four positions in the team standings and finished ahead of six teams in the nation's top 25 including No. 5 Florida. Senior All-American Jonas Blixt shot a two-under par 70 in the final round and finished in fifth place in the individual standings.
No. 9 ranked Charlotte earned the team championship as the 49'ers defeated No. 7 Oklahoma State by four strokes in the final standings. Charlotte began the final round trailing the Cowboys by three strokes and moved into the lead mid-way through the final round. Charlotte's Stefan Wiedergruen claimed the individual title as he shot a four-under par 68 to beat Minnesota's Victor Alestrom by two strokes.
"They played like I thought they would play today," said Head Coach Trey Jones. "The effort put forth by this group has never been questioned; they will fight until the end and did so today. They never give up. Jonas continues to take steps forward to improve as a golfer. Usually the All-Americans don't have the room to improve but that's not so in Jonas's case. He just keeps getting better. Matt (Savage) is also making many of the same moves in the forward direction and continues to improve his game."
Blixt (Hammaro, Sweden) gained his second straight top five individual finish as he fired a two-under par score of 70 in the final round. He played the final two rounds of the event at six-under par and completed the tournament with an even-par score of 216. Blixt's final score is a testament to how well he his playing to begin his senior season after he shot a six-over par 78 in the first round of the event. He carded six birdies in the final round after totaling five birdies in his first two rounds of the event.
Junior All-American Matt Savage (Louisville, Ky.) also closed well with his second consecutive score of one-under par 71. He played the final two rounds at two-under par after opening the event with six-over par score of 78. Savage finished in a tie for 13th place in the individual standings to mark his second top-15 finish of the fall season. He has finished in the top-15 of the individual standings in six of his last 10 events including a tie for ninth place finish at the 2007 NCAA Championship.
Freshman Drew Kittleson (Scottsdale, Az.) continued his consistent play as he carded his second consecutive score of 74. He carded a 75 in the first round of the event and identical scores of 74 in the second and thirds rounds. Kittleston averages 74.57 strokes in the first six rounds of his collegiate career with now score above 76 and no score lower that 74.
Sophomore Seath Lauer (Huntington, Ind.) and senior Tommy Rymer (Hastings, Minn.) finished well with scores of 75 and 76 respectively. Lauer finished the event with identical scores of 75 after opening with an 82 while Rymer finished with identical scores of 76 after opening the event with a 78.
The Seminoles play in their next event at the Fighting Illini Invitational at the Olympia Fields Country Club in Olympia Fields, Ill. on Sept. 30-Oct. 1.
PING/Golf Week Preview/Sept. 22-23, 2007/par 72 Kampen Club/W. Lafayette, Ind./Final Team Results 1. Charlotte 867 9. Texas A&M 892 2. Oklahoma State 871 10. UNLV 893 3. Southern California 873 11. Lamar 897 4. Alabama 881 12. Louisville 898 5. Minnesota 882 13. Georgia State 901 6. Arizona State 883 14. Purdue 903 7. Florida State 886 15. Coastal Carolina 926 8. Florida 889
Name Place Rnd1 Rnd2 Rnd3 Total ========================= ===== ==== ==== ==== ===== Jonas Blixt 5 78 68 70 216 Matt Savage 13t 78 71 71 220 Drew Kittleson 29t 75 74 74 223 Tommy Rymer 63t 78 76 76 230 Seath Lauer 63t 82 75 75 232
No. 9 Seminoles Finish In 4th Place At Fighting Illini Invitational.
All-American Blixt earns third consecutive top-five individual finish.
OLYMPIA FIELDS, IL - No. 9 Florida State earned its second top-five team finish of the fall season and All-Americans Jonas Blixt and Matt Savage finished in the top five of the individual standings as competition at the Fighting Illini Invitational at the Olympic Fields Country Club came to a close Monday. The Seminoles finished ahead of four teams ranked in the nation's top 15 including No. 5 ranked Stanford as they continued to improve their national profile.
No. 13 Oklahoma State, led by individual medalist Rickie Fowler, claimed the team championship with a seven stroke victory over Texas. The Cowboys had two individuals finish in the top six and three in the top 12 in earning the win. They took the lead in the first round and held the top spot throughout the second and third rounds. Florida State finished in fourth to mark the second time this season it had earned a top five finish - the Seminoles won the team championship at the season-opening Inverness Intercollegiate.
Blixt (Hammaro, Sweden) carded a two-over par 72 in the third round to finish in fourth place in the individual standings. It marked the his third consecutive top-five finish after earning medalist honors at the Inverness Intercollegiate and finishing in fifth place at the PING/Golf Week Preview. Blixt was the low-man for the Seminoles in the final round. He opened his final round with an eagle three on the par five first hole to get his round off to a good start and had two holes at par or better for the round.
Savage (Louisville, Ky.) finished in fifth place in the individual standings as he carded a 73 in the final round of the event. The finish marked Savage's second top-five finish of the fall season; he finished in a tie for fifth at the Inverness Intercollegiate. Savage recovered from a triple-bogey on the par four seventh hole to finish at one-under par over his final 11 holes of the afternoon.
Senior Song Jeon (Seoul, Korea) finished as the third highest ranking Seminole in the event and closed his third round with a 76 and a 225 three-round total. He closed well as he played his final nine holes at only two-over par to record his second best single-round score of the tournament. Jeon was playing in his first event for the Seminoles since the Seminole Intercollegiate during March of this past spring season.
Seminole sophomore Seath Lauer finished in a tie for 48th place as he closed with a 77. His best round - the second - saw him card a two-over par score of 72. Freshman Drew Kittleson (Scottsdale, Ariz.), who carded a 75 in the first round, was forced to withdraw from the event prior to the second round a because of illness.
The Seminoles are back in action at the Isleworth Intercollegiate at Windermere, Fla. on Oct. 21-23.
Fighting Illini Invitational/Sept, 30-Oct. 1/Par 70 Olympia Fields Country Club/Olympia Fields, Ill./Final Team Results 1. Oklahoma State 857 7. UCF 880 2. Texas 864 8. Tennessee 885 3. Indiana 870 T9. Arizona State 887 4. Florida State 874 T9. Illinois 887 5. Stanford 876 11. Purdue 892 6. Duke 877 12. Northwestern 893
Name Place Rnd1 Rnd2 Rnd3 Total ========================= ===== ==== ==== ==== ===== Jonas Blixt 4 71 69 72 212 Matt Savage 5 74 66 73 213 Song Jeon 41t 72 77 76 225 Seath Lauer 48t 79 72 77 228 Drew Kittleson wd 75 75
Jeon Cards Hole-In-One; Seminoles Finish Play At Isleworth Collegiate Classic.
First career hole-in-one for Seminole senior.
WINDERMERE, FL - Florida State senior Song Jeon carded a golfer's dream - a hole-in-one - on the par three second hole as the No. 6 ranked Seminole men's golf team completed play at the Isleworth/UCF Collegiate Classic at the Isleworth Country Club. Jeon's hole-in-one helped him finish with a score of 78 and allowed the Seminoles to finish tied for 14th in the team standings.
No. 5 ranked Georgia ran away with the team title as the Bulldogs finished 21 strokes ahead of Clemson in the team standings. The Bulldogs were in a tie for ninth place and seven strokes out of the team lead after the first round before storming back and winning the team title. Harris English of Georgia earned individual medalist honors.
Jeon (Seoul, South Korea) aced the par three second hole and finished his round with a six-over par score of 78. He pared the hole in the first round and carded a bogey in the second round on that same hole. During the round, Jeon carded 11 holes at par or better with one birdie and his hole-in-one. Jeon played his best round of the event in the first round as he carded an even par 72.
Senior Tommy Rymer (Hastings, Minn.) carded the best score of the final round for the Seminoles with a one-over par 73. He finished as the third highest finishing Seminole as he carded identical scores of 73 in the first and third rounds. Rymer carded two birdies and six holes of par on his first nine holes and was a total of two over par on his final nine to finish at one-over par for the round.
Senior All-American Jonas Blixt (Hammaro, Sweden) carded a three-over par score of 75 in the final round and finished in a tie for 33rd place in the individual standings. He finished as the Seminoles' highest ranking player for the fourth time in four events during the fall 2007 season.
Junior All-American Matt Savage (Louisville, Ky.) carded a three-under par score of 69 in the first round and finished with a 225 total for the 54-hole event while freshman Drew Kittleson (Scottsdale, Ariz.) carded back-to-back rounds of 73 and 74 in the second and third rounds and finished with a three-round total of 228.
Florida State begins play at the Calloway Match play Championship at the Reynolds Plantation Golf Course in Greensboro, Ga., on Oct. 28. The Seminoles are the seventh seeded team in the event and will face No. 10 seeded South Carolina in the first round. Invitation to the Callaway Golf Collegiate Match Play Championship is based on a team's 2007 Division I national championships finish. The event - which will be held Oct. 28-30 - features 16 teams that finished in the top 17 at nationals.
Fourth Annual Isleworth/UCF Collegiate Invitational/Par 72/Final Team Results Isleworth Country Club/Windermere, Fla. 1. Georgia 841 T10. E. Tennessee St. 883 2. Clemson 862 T10. Illinois 883 3. Southern Cal 863 12. Kentucky 886 4. Oklahoma State 866 13. SMU 890 5. Wake Forest 868 T14. Texas 894 6. Georgia Tech 869 T14. Florida State 894 7. UCF 871 16. Arizona State 895 8. South Carolina 876 17. Arizona 896 9. Stanford 879 18. Texas A&M 915
Name Place Rnd1 Rnd2 Rnd3 Total ========================= ===== ==== ==== ==== ===== Jonas Blixt 33t 72 74 75 221 Matt Savage 58t 69 77 79 225 Tommy Rymer 58t 73 79 73 225 Drew Kittleson 68t 73 74 79 226 Song Jeon 76t 72 81 78 231
Seminole Men's Golf Team Falls In First Round Of Callaway Match Play Championship.
All-American Blixt gains only win for Seminoles in first round.
GREENSBORO, GA - The Florida State men's golf team fell to South Carolina, 3-1-1, in the first round of the Callaway Collegiate Match Play Championship at the Reynolds Plantation Golf Course. In a first round full of upsets, the No. 7 seeded Seminoles fell to the No. 10 seeded Gamecocks as four lower seeded teams defeated higher ranked teams in the first round of play. Included in the upsets was a victory by No. 16 seeded Coastal Carolina over No. 1 seeded Charlotte - the first time in the six year history of the event that the lowest seed had defeated the highest seed.
Florida State's loss sent the Seminoles into the consolation bracket against No. 15 seeded Georgia State. That match began on Sunday and will be finished Monday morning because of darkness.
Seminole All-America Jonas Blixt was Florida State's only winner in its' first round match against South Carolina. He defeated George Bryan IV, 4 and 3. He took the lead on the fifth hole and was declared the winner as he led by four with only three holes to play.
Seminole All-America Matt Savage halved (tied) his match against South Carolina's Patrick Rada. Savage trailed in nine of the final 13 holes of the event before pulling even with one hole remaining and finishing the event all square.
Florida State was winless in the remaining three matches. Seminole freshman Drew Kittleson fell to South Carolina's Mark Anderson, 3 and 2; Seminole sophomore Seath Lauer fell to Paul Woodbury, 5 and 4 and Seminole senior Tommy Rymer fell to Florian Fritsch, 3 and 1.
The Seminoles match against Georgia State will be completed Monday morning. Through 12 holes of that match, the Seminoles led 3-1-1. A win would advance the Seminoles through the bracket to a match-up with the winner of the Texas vs. Lamar match.
10 South Carolina def. 7 Florida State, 3-1-1
Jonas Blixt (FSU) def. George Bryan IV (SC), 4 and 3
Matt Savage (FSU) halved Patrick Rada (SC), all square
Mark Anderson (SC) def. Drew Kittleson (FSU), 3 and 2
Paul Woodbury (SC) def. Seath Lauer (FSU), 5 and 4
Florian Fritsch (SC) def. Tommy Rymer (FSU), 3 and 1
Seminole Men's Golf Team Advances With Two Wins At Callaway Match Play Championship.
Lauer wins deciding match in victory over Lamar.
GREENSBORO, Ga. - The Florida State men's golf team defeated Georgia State and Lamar and will play Charlotte in the consolation bracket finals of the 2007 Callaway Match Play Championships on The Oconee Course at Reynolds Plantation on Tuesday. The No. 7 seeded Seminoles defeated No. 15 Georgia State, 3-1-1, in a match completed Monday morning after being suspended because of darkness Sunday night and then defeated No. 11 seeded Lamar, 3-2-0, to raise their record to 2-1 in the event. The Seminoles were defeated by No. 10 seeded South Carolina in the first round of the event.
Florida State defeated Georgia State, 3-1-1, on Monday morning in a match that was suspended because of darkness on Sunday. The Seminoles earned victories by senior All-American Jonas Blixt, junior All-American Matt Savage and sophomore Seath Lauer. Blixt (3 and 1), Savage (4 and 3) and Lauer (3 and 1) all won their matches going away while freshman Drew Kittleson earned a tie in his match to help Florida State to the victory.
The Seminoles then advanced with a 3-2 victory over Lamar to close their day and will play No. 1 seed and current No. 1 ranked Charlotte. The Seminoles earned victories by Blixt (7 and 6) over Will Gilchrist and Matt Savage (5 and 4) over Justin Harding and were tied and 2-2 and set the stage for late match heroics by Lauer.
Lauer was two strokes down with five holes to play against Lamar's Russell Helson and rallied to claim the deciding victory. In five successive holes to close the match he earned a par, an eagle on a par 5, a birdie and two pars to take the match 1 up.
"Seath went out and took the match rather than waiting for his opponent to make a mistake," said Seminole Head Coach Trey Jones. "He played two perfect holes to close it out and didn't give his opponent the chance to come back. That kind of experience is why you play in events like this. That kind of experience will hopefully help our entire team at the end of the year. We are really looking forward to playing the No. 1 team in the nation tomorrow."
7 Florida State def. 15 Georgia State, 3-1-1
Jonas Blixt (FSU) def. Tim Freund (GSU), 3 and 1
Matt Savage (FSU) def. Maurice Jordan (GSU), 4 and 3
Drew Kittleson (FSU) halved Tom Sherreard (GSU), all square
Seath Lauer (FSU) def. Alex Castro (GSU), 3 and 1
Alan Fowler (GSU) def. Bradley Ruch (FSU), 4 and 2
7 Florida State def 11 Lamar, 3-2
Jonas Blixt (FSU) def. Will Gilchrist (LU), 7 and 6
Hugues Joannes (LU) def. Drew Kittleson (FSU), 3 and 2
Matt Savage (FSU) def. Justin Harding (LU), 5 and 4
Casey Clendenon (LU) def. Tommy Rymer (FSU), 2 and 1
Seath Lauer (FSU) def. Russell Helson (LU), 1 up
Seminole Men's Golf Team Defeats No. 1 Charlotte At Callaway Match Play Championship.
Senior Tommy Rymer clinches victory for Seminole golf team.
GREENSBORO, GA - The Florida State University men's golf team defeated No. 1 ranked Charlotte, 3-2, in the consolation finals of the Callaway Match Play Championship on the Oconee Course at the Reynolds Plantation Golf Club. The Seminoles completed the event with a 3-1 record as they earned victories over Georgia State, Lamar and Charlotte and were one of only five teams in the 16-team field that win at least three matches. No. 4 seeded UCLA won the team championship with a 4-1 victory over No. 3 seeded Georgia Tech.
Florida State's senior All-American Jonas Blixt won his match against the 49'ers and finished the event with a 4-0 record to lead the Seminoles who were seeded seventh in the event. Junior All-American Matt Savage was also undefeated with a 3-0-1 record as the Seminoles closed the team portion of their fall schedule. Blixt and Savage will compete in the 33rd Annual Western Refining College All-America Golf Classic which will be played Nov. 18-20 at the El Paso Country Club in El Paso, Texas.
As with their victory over Lamar on Monday, the Seminoles' victory over Charlotte came down to the last hole of the last match. On this day it was senior Tommy Rymer who gave Florida State its 3-2 winning advantage with a win in the final match of the day. Rymer played his way to a 3-up advantage early, was tied by his opponent late and pared his final two holes to gain the individual victory and the team win. Rymer defeated Charlotte's Jonas Enander Hedin - the nation's No. 7 ranked collegiate individual.
"We knew going out that Charlotte had five very good players and that we would all have to play extremely well to win the match," said Head Coach Trey Jones. "But Jonas found a way to win after struggling early which showed how tough of a player he is and for Tommy to beat a player of Hedin's caliber shows how good he can be. Matt and Drew continued to play well and were both important in our winning three matches and despite losing Seath played one of our best matches of the day."
Savage won his third match of the competition as he defeated Corey Nagy of Charlotte, 2 and 1. Savage took the lead after six holes to gain the first win of the day for Florida State.
"The main thing we gained this week was team unity, competitive spirit and the confidence that we can continue to improve as individuals and as a team," said Jones. "To come out of the event with three wins against three of the top programs in the country is a good thing for us. Each one of our guys had some good moments and each one of our guys played well throughout the event. This sends us into the offseason knowing what we need to work on and how we can improve."
Consolation Final
(7) Florida State def. (1) Charlotte, 3-2
Stefan Wiedergruen (C) def. Drew Kittleson (FSU), 3 and 2
Matt Savage (FSU) def. Corey Nagy (C), 2 and 1
Jonas Blixt (FSU) def. Trevor Murphy (C), 2-up
Tommy Rymer (FSU) def. Jonas Enander Hedin (C), 1-up
Andrew DiBitetto (C) def. Seath Lauer (FSU), 3 and 1
Seminoles' Blixt Finishes In A Tie for Third At All-America Golf Classic.
Senior All-American cards five-under par 66 in final round of event.
Nov. 20, 2007
EL PASO, TX - Florida State University senior Jonas Blixt shot a five under par 66 in the final round and finished in a tie for third place at the Western Refining All-America Golf Classic at the El Paso Country Club. Blixt's final round 66 gave him a three-round total of 204 and helped him move from a tie for seventh place after two rounds in his final placing of tied for third in the individual standings.
Blixt, the 13th ranked individual male college golfer in the nation, finished only six strokes behind individual medalist Webb Simpson of Wake Forest and only three strokes behind Aaron Goldberg of San Diego State. Simpson entered the event as the 18th ranked golfer in the nation while Goldberg was ranked 68th beginning the event. Blixt finished ahead of three golfers ranked ahead of him in the national standings including No. 1 ranked Chesson Hadley of Georgia Tech.
Blixt (Hammaro, Sweden) closed the event with six birdies and one eagle in carding his five-under par score of 66. He was never higher than even-par and was as many as seven strokes under par after his eagle on the par four 15th hole.
Florida State's Matt Savage (Louisville, Ky.), the 44th highest ranked collegiate golfer in the nation, finished in 26th place in the individual standings. He carded a 73 in the final round and
finished with a 218 total for the three round event.
All-Americans representing Seminole program at national event.
Nov. 19, 2007
EL PASO, TX - Florida State senior Jonas Blixt is in a tie for seventh place and junior Matt Savage is in a tie for 21st place after the first two rounds of the 33rd Annual Western Refining College All-American Golf Tournament at the El Paso Country Club. Blixt is only five strokes behind the overall leader while Savage is 12 strokes back with two of the three rounds of play complete.
The Western Refining College All-America Golf Classic is the only individual stroke play event sanctioned by the NCAA. It features the nation's top returning All Americans from the 2006-07 season. Past champions include Tiger Woods, Davis Love III, David Duval, Jerry Pate, Notah Begay, Nicholas Thompson and this past years champion Chris Kirk. Florida State has had seven golfers participate in the illustrious history of the event including Ken Staton, Roger Winchester and Duke Donahue.
Blixt (Hammaro, Sweden) finished the first day of play with a four-under par score of 138. He carded a four-under par 67 in the first round and closed the day with an even par 71.
Blixt finished the first round of play with six birdies, 10 holes of par and only two bogeys. He was as much as five strokes under par and was never over par during the round. Blixt began the round with five of the first six holes at par and finished the final 12 rounds at four-under par for a score of 67.
Blixt closed the after well and finished with an even par score of 71 in the second round. He was four over after his first nine holes and four under on the back nine - including four consecutive birdies to close out his round - to close at even par.
Savage (Louisville, Ky.) finished the first two rounds with a three-over par score of 145. He carded an even par score of 71 in the first round and a 74 in the second round.
Savage's first round included three birdies, 12 rounds of par and only three bogeys. He was as much as two-under par and not more than one-over par throughout the first round. Savage closed his round with a one-over par score on his first nine and a one-under par score on his second nine.
Both Blixt and Savage are chasing Aaron Goldberg of San Diego State who carded a nine-under par score of 133. He was five under par in his first round of play and four under par in his second round. Goldberg leads Trent Leon of Oklahoma State and Webb Simpson of Wake Forest by one stroke.
Name Place Rnd1 Rnd2 Rnd3 Total ========================= ===== ==== ==== ==== ===== Jonas Blixt 7t 67 71 66 204 Matt Savage 26t 71 74 73 218
Seminoles Finish In 2nd Place At Season-Opening Gator Invitational.
All-American Blixt leads three Seminoles in top-10 of the individual standings.
GAINAESVILLE, FL - The No. 13 Florida State men's golf team, with three individuals earning top-10 placings, finished in second place in the final standings at the SunTrust Gator Invitational at the University of Florida Golf Course. Senior All-American Jonas Blixt and sophomore Seath Lauer finished in a tied for sixth place while freshman Drew Kittleson finished in a tie for ninth place in the individual standings.
Florida State, which is ranked No. 13 in the latest ranking by GolfWeek Magazine and No. 15 by GolfStat, finished with an eight-under par team score of 832. They finished behind the host Gators and ahead of five other teams ranked in the nation's top 30 including No. 9 Duke who finished in a tie for sixth place in the team standings. The Gators entered the event ranked No. 12 in the GolfWeek poll and No. 18 by GolfStat. Duke's Michael Schachner and Zach Sucher of UAB were co-individual medalists with identical scores of seven-under par 203. It was decided not to play a playoff and the two shared medalist honors.
"While I am disappointed that we did not challenge Florida in the final round, I am proud of the way we finished the final nine holes," said Head Coach Trey Jones. "This team loves to compete and never quits. When you have three guys finish in the top 10 and four in the top 21, it shows that our young guys are beginning to show signs of improvement. There were not two players in the field who played as well as Seath and Drew over the final 36 holes of the event."
Blixt (Hammaro, Sweden) earned his 13th career top-10 finish as he closed the event with a three-under par total of 207. His 207 total ranks as the best three-round score of his career and is six strokes better than his 213 total which earned him medalist honors at the 2007 Gator Invitational. Blixt carded back-to-back scores of 67 in the first and second rounds of the event.
Lauer (Huntington, Ind.) tied his career low with a 67 in the final round of the event and finished with a career-low score of 207. His tied for sixth place finish is the second best of his career - behind only his tied for fourth place finish at the spring 2007 Linger Longer Invitational. Lauer finished the event with scores of 68 in the second round and 67 in the third round and moved up 15 positions in the individual standings after beginning the final round in a tie for 21st place.
Freshman Drew Kittleson (Scottsdale, Ariz.) earned the first top-10 finish of his young career as he closed the event with a two-under par 68 to finish with a career best 208 total and a tied for ninth place finish. He closed the event with consecutive scores of 68. Kittleson's scores of 68 marked career-low scores for the freshman and were five strokes better than his previous low of 73 which he carded during the first round of the fall 2007 Isleworth/UCF Collegiate Invitational.
Junior All-American Matt Savage (Louisville, KY) finished in a tie for 21st while junior Nicholas Smith finished in a tie for 57th and Cameron Knight placed 65th. Savage played his best round of golf in the final round as he closed with an even par score of 70.
The Seminoles continue their spring schedule as the play host to the Seminole Intercollegiate at Golden Eagle Country Club in Tallahassee on March 2-4.
SunTrust Gator Invitational/Par 70/Final Team Scores University of Florida Golf Course/Gainesville, Fla./Feb. 9-10, 2008 1. Florida 820 T6. Louisiana State 853 2. Florida State 832 9. Coastal Carolina 856 3. Mississippi State 842 10. Georgia Southern 861 4. UAB 844 11. Ole Miss 862 5. South Alabama 851 12. North Florida 865 T6. Duke 853 13. South Florida 873 T6. Wake Forest 853 14. Georgia State 888
Name Place Rnd1 Rnd2 Rnd3 Total ========================= ===== ==== ==== ==== ===== Jonas Blixt 6t 67 67 73 207 Seath Lauer 6t 72 68 67 207 Drew Kittleson 9t 72 68 68 208 Matt Savage 21t 67 75 70 212 Nicholas Smith 57t 72 73 77 222 Cameron Knight 65 76 73 77 226
No. 13 Florida State Men's Golf Team Wins Seminole Intercollegiate.
Seminoles close with a third-round total of 285 to defeat Auburn by four strokes. Vanderbilt's Jon Curran wins individual title with three-round total of 206.
TALLAHASSEE, FL - The No. 13 ranked Florida State men's Golf team defended its home turn winning the Seminole Intercollegiate at Golden Eagle Country Club with a three-round total of -6 (858).
The Seminoles finished strong with a third-round total of -3 (285) to beat No. 9 Auburn by four strokes. Virginia rounded out the top three at +2. The Tigers (-2) were the only other team to finish under par. The individual title went to Vanderbilt's Jon Curran who fired back-to-back 68's to finish with a three-round total of -10 (206). Cullen bested runner-up Jay Moseley of Auburn by three shots (-7). North Carolina'a Kevin O'Connell and UAB's Zach Sucher tied for third at -6. Florida State's top finisher was Jonas Blixt who finished tied for sixth at -1.
Seminole Intercollegiate Golden Eagle Country Club Tallahassee, Fl Championship Tees Dates: March 2-4, 2008 Rank Team Scores 1 Florida State 285 288 285 858 -6 2 Auburn 286 287 289 862 -2 3 Virginia 286 286 294 866 +2 4 North Carolina 290 287 290 867 +3 5t Louisville 291 294 288 873 +9 5t Vanderbilt 300 292 281 873 +9 5t Alabama-Birmingham 291 296 286 873 +9 8 Mississippi 285 293 304 882 +18 9 Louisiana State 293 299 297 889 +25 10 College of Charleston 298 306 290 894 +30 11 Maryland 291 301 307 899 +35 12 Mississippi State 294 302 304 900 +36
Name Place Rnd1 Rnd2 Rnd3 Total ========================= ===== ==== ==== ==== ===== Jonas Blixt 6t 68 73 74 215 Seath Lauer 9t 74 71 71 216 Drew Kittleson 11t 78 70 69 217 Cameron Knight 14t 73 74 71 218 Matt Savage 24t 70 75 75 220 Song Jeon 27t 73 73 75 221
Seminoles Finish Second At General Jim Hackler Invitational.
Kittleson earns first career hole in one in third round.
MYRTLE BEACH, SC - The No. 13 ranked Florida State men's golf team charged toward the team championship of the General Jim Hackler Invitational at the TPC of Myrtle Beach but fell three strokes short of Wake Forest as it attempted to win consecutive tournaments after claiming the team championship of last week's Seminole Intercollegiate. The Seminoles began the final round 13 strokes behind the team leader and made a steady climb up the leader board only to fall three strokes shorts of the Demon Deacons for the tam title.
Seminole freshman Drew Kittleson, who carded a four-over par 76, earned the first ace of his collegiate career as he holed the par three 13th hole in one shot.
"I am proud of the guys for coming out competing to win today," said Head Coach Trey Jones. "The greens were extremely hard and with pins in difficult locations it put a premium on all facets of their games. A one dimensional player was not going to play well on this course. Wake Forest played a very good round and we made a few mistakes on the 14th hole that made it difficult to overcome."
The Seminoles earned their third consecutive top-two team finish after a second place standing at the spring-season opening Gator Invitational and team victory at the Seminole Intercollegiate.
Junior All-American Matt Savage (Louisville, Ky.) led the Seminoles for the first time this spring as he finished in a tie for sixth place. He carded a 71 in the second round and a 74 in the third round. Savage has earned two consecutive top-15 individual finishes.
Senior All-American Jonas Blixt (Hammaro, Sweden) finished in a tie for 12th in the individual standings with a one over par score of 73 in the third round and a 224 total for the three round event. He has earned three consecutive top-12 finishes this spring. Blixt carded scores of 73 in the first and third rounds of this week's tournament.
Kittleson (Scottsdale, Ariz.) finished in a tie for 27th place with scores of 77-76-76 and a 54-hole total of 229. He has two top-10 finishes in three events this spring.
The Seminoles continue their spring season at the United States Collegiate Championship March 24-26 in Alpharetta at the Country Club of Georgia.
General Jim Hackler Invitational/Par 72/Final Team Results Myrtle Beach, S.C./TPC of Myrtle Beach/March 9-10, 2008 1. Wake Forest 897 9. Augusta State 919 2. Florida State 900 10. Pepperdine 921 3. Duke 901 11. Northwestern 922 4. Coastal Carolina 903 12. North Carolina 923 5. Louisville 906 13. UNC Wilmington 939 6. Lamar 909 14. Tulsa 944 T7. North Florida 915 15. Georgia Southern 956 T7. East Tennessee St 915
Name Place Rnd1 Rnd2 Rnd3 Total ========================= ===== ==== ==== ==== ===== Matt Savage 6t 77 71 74 222 Jonas Blixt 12t 73 78 73 224 Seath Lauer 14t 74 76 75 225 Drew Kittleson 27t 77 76 76 229 Cameron Knight 58t 80 79 79 238
Seminole Men's Golf Team Finishes In 5th Place At U.S. Collegiate Championship.
Blixt cards three-under par 69 in final round.
ALPHARETTA, GA - Junior All-American Jonas Blixt carded a personal tournament best 69 in the final round to help boost the No. 11 ranked Florida State men's golf team to a fifth place finish at the U.S. Collegiate Championship on the Lakeside Course at the Golf Club of Georgia. The Seminoles finished ahead of four teams currently ranked in front of them in the national rankings including No. 2 Georgia, No. 3 UCLA, No. 4 Charlotte and No. 9 Stanford.
The Seminoles finished the event with their best round of the 54-hole tournament - a three-under par 285 - as three golfers - Blixt (three-under par 69), Cameron Knight (one-under par 71) and Matt Savage (one-under par 71) all finished with scores under par on the par 72 course. Sophomore Seath Lauer (three-over par 74) and freshman Drew Kittleson (three-over par 74) rounded out the team score as Florida State finished 16 strokes better than its second round score of six strokes better than their first round score. Blixt, Knight and Savage all finished in a tie for 13th place in the individual standings.
"I could not be prouder of the way we came out and competed today," said Head Coach Trey Jones. "These guys proved they could compete with the best teams in the country in difficult conditions on a hard golf course. I am excited that we are continuing improve as the season goes on."
No. 5 Southern California won the team championship as they defeated No. 6 ranked Oklahoma State by three strokes. The Trojans were led by defending NCAA Champion Jamie Lovemark who finished in a tie for second place. Trent Leon of Oklahoma State won the individual title as he defeated Lovemark and teammate Rickie Fowler by one stroke. Leon finished with a three-round total of 208.
Blixt (Hammaro, Sweden) was masterful in the final round as he carded his fourth score in the 60's this spring. He is now averaging below par (71.88) in the Seminoles' eight matches during the fall 2007 and spring 2008 seasons. Blixt was as many as five strokes under par during the third round with six birdies and 16 holes at par or better. He was three under par during the final 36 holes of the event.
Knight (Wesley Chapel, Fla.) played one of the best events of his collegiate career as he finished with a three-round total of 219. He carded one-under par scores of 71 in the first and third rounds to mark the second time during his career that he earned multiple rounds of under par score in the same event. Knight began the round with birdies on his first two holes and was under par throughout the entire third round.
Savage (Louisville, Ky.) played his best golf of the tournament in the final round as he carded a one-under par 71 over the final 18 holes of golf. He carded an even par 72 in the opening round of the event. Savage was nearly perfect during the round with 17 holes at par or better (one birdie) and only one bogey. He is Florida State's second leading golfer with a 72.58 stroke average during the fall of spring seasons.
The Seminoles next competitive outing comes on April 6 as the play the University of Florida in a dual match at the Glen Arven Country Club in Thomasville, Ga. The match begins at 7:30 a.m.
United States Collegiate Championship/Par 72/Final Team Results The Golf Club of Georgia/March 24-26, 2008 1. Southern California 864 9. Georgia 886 2. Oklahoma State 867 10. Charlotte 889 3. Alabama 872 11. Stanford 897 4. Georgia Tech 875 12. E. Tennessee State 899 5. Florida State 877 13. Coastal Carolina 902 6. Texas A&M 881 14. Texas 916 7. UCLA 882 15. Brigham Young 920 8. Georgia State 883
Name Place Rnd1 Rnd2 Rnd3 Total ========================= ===== ==== ==== ==== ===== Jonas Blixt 13t 78 72 69 219 Cameron Knight 13t 71 77 71 219 Matt Savage 13t 72 76 71 219 Drew Kittleson 38t 75 76 74 225 Seath Lauer 40t 73 79 74 226
Blixt Leads Seminole Men's Golf Team To Fifth Place Finish At River Landing Intercollegiate.
Senior All-American earns third place finish in individual standings.
WALLACE, NC - Florida State University senior All-American Jonas Blixt finished in third place in the individual standings and the No. 7 ranked Seminole men's golf team finished in fifth place in the team standings as play in the River Landing Intercollegiate on the Landing Course at the River Landing Golf Club came to a close. The fifth place finish for the Seminoles marked their fifth top-five team placing in five events this spring.
No. 16 ranked Duke defeated NC State by nine strokes to claim the team championship. The Blue Devils led the event wire to wire to gain their second team championship of the year after finishing in a tie for first in the team standings at the Coca-Cola Classic during the fall season. Duke's Michael Schachner defeated Webb Simpson in a one-hole playoff to win the individual championship. Schachner finished two strokes ahead of Florida State's Blixt.
Blixt (Hammaro, Sweden) led the Seminoles in the third and final round with a two-under par score of 70 to finish with a five-under par total of 211. He finished in third place to earn his fourth top-five individual finish of the fall 2007 and spring 2008 seasons. Blixt was under par for 17 of the 18 holes played on Sunday and was as many as three strokes under par during the round. He played the third round with 17 holes at par or better with three birdies and only one bogey.
Blixt will defend his ACC individual championship beginning Friday at the Old North State Club at Uwharrie Point in New London, N.C. He won the ACC Championship last season and is looking to become the first back-to-back conference champion since the 1997 and 1998 seasons.
Freshman Drew Kittleson (Scottsdale, Ariz.) finished the event with a one-under par score of 71 to finish in a tie for 16th place in the individual standings. He carded under par scores of 71 in the first and third rounds of the event. Kittleson was three under par after 14 holes and finished his final four holes of the afternoon at two over par. Kittleson's individual finish marked the third best and third top-20 finish of his Seminole career.
Sophomore Seath Lauer (Huntington, Ind.) carded the Seminoles best score of the final round, a three-under par 69, to lead the Seminoles over the final 18 holes. He saved his best for last as he played his final seven holes of the afternoon at three under par. Lauer carded six birdies and finished in a tie for 36th place in the individual standings.
Seminole sophomore Cameron Knight (Wesley Chapel, Fla.) and senior Tommy Rymer (Hastings, Minn.) finished their play in the event with identical scores of 77. Knight finished in a tie for 45th place while Rymer finished in a tied for 70th place.
"While I am dissapointed in our inconsitant play this week each player is playing well and has the potential to play well at the ACC championship this week," said Head Coach Trey Jones. "Cameron struggled again today and shot a very uncharted 77. He will re-group work hard and be ready to play one of his favorite courses in the Old North State Club.
"We will be ready to play on Friday," said Jones.
Florida State begins play in the 55th annual ACC Championship on Friday. The Seminoles finished in a tie for fourth in the event last season and are considered to be one of the favorites to win this season's ACC championship The Seminoles are ranked No. 7 in this week's national rankings by Golf Week Magazine (two places ahead of Georgia Tech) and are ranked No. 8 in the latest Golfstat head to head standings (one place behind Georgia Tech). A total of five of the 11 ACC teams are ranked in the Golf Week Top-25 while six are ranked in the top-25 by Golfstat.
River Landing Intercollegiate/Par 72/Final Team Results River Landing Golf Club/Landing Course/Wallace, N.C./April 11-13, 2008 1. Duke 851 9. East Carolina 883 2. NC State 860 10. Maryland 887 3. Memphis 864 11. Rice 892 4. Wake Forest 868 12. Tulsa 893 5. Florida State 870 13. Houston 904 6. N. Carolina 877 14. Liberty 906 7. Virginia 879 15. Navy 910 8. Kansas 881
Name Place Rnd1 Rnd2 Rnd3 Total ========================= ===== ==== ==== ==== ===== Jonas Blixt 3 68 73 70 211 Drew Kittleson 16t 71 75 71 217 Seath Lauer 36t 72 80 69 221 Cameron Knight 45t 73 73 77 223 Tommy Rymer 70t 75 78 77 230
Seminole Men's Golf Team Wins ACC Championship For First Time In School History.
All five players contribute to landmark victory.
NEW LONDON, NC - The Florida State University Men's Golf Team, led by All-America teammates Jonas Blixt and Matt Savage, won its first ever Atlantic Coast Conference championship as it defeated Duke by three strokes at the 55th Annual ACC Championship at the Old North State Club at Uwharrie Point. The Seminoles defeated the Blue Devils by four stokes in the third round as they rallied from a one stroke deficit after two rounds to claim the school's first ever ACC championship in the sport of golf.
"I feel like we were playing well coming in to the week," said Head Coach Trey Jones. "The talent level in the league is so good with so many great coaches and great players. The tournament has such a great tradition. We knew we were going to have to make lots of putts. We kept with it. We kept staying with it and staying with it. We didn't take nine holes off, we never lost focus, we stayed in it. I'm proud of the guys."
The Seminoles' overcame Duke and the weather to win the conference championship. Before they moved past the Blue Devils in the team standings, the Seminoles waited through a 2:18 rain delay that not only stopped play but dumped a tremendous amount of rain on the course. Following the rain delay, the Seminoles went to work on the course and the Blue Devils.
Each of the five team members contributed to the victory as the Seminoles closed the 54-hole tournament with four players under par and only one at over par. Blixt (Hammaro, Sweden) and Savage (Louisville, Ky.) led the way with eight-under par 208 scores as they both finished in a tie for third in the individual standings. Freshman Drew Kittleson (Scottsdale, Ariz.) finished in a tied for sixth place with a six-under par score of 210. Sophomore Seath Lauer (Huntington, Ind.) finished in a tie for 13th place with a two-under par score of 212 and sophomore Cameron Knight (Wesley Chapel, Fla.) finished in a tie for 42nd with a score of 223.
"This is a balanced team with good chemistry," said Jones. "Our chemistry grows because we continue to get better. The more they put themselves in the position to win, the better they get."
Blixt and Savage, who finished in a tie for third place in the individual standings, became the fifth and sixth Seminoles in school history to finish in third place or higher at the ACC Championship. Blixt has now earned back-to-back top three finishes after finishing as the individual medalist in 2007. The third place finish was the best in Savage's career after a pair of top-25 placings in his first two ACC Tournament appearances.
"The guys played great today," said Savage. "We had a lot of fun out there. It takes the pressure off when your teammates are on the leader board at three, four and five under. It takes the pressure off when you know you don't have to win it for your team and can just play."
55th Annual ACC Men's Golf Championship/Par 72/Final Team Results Old North State Club at Uwharrie Pt./New London, N.C. 1. Florida State 838 7. NC State 858 2. Duke 841 8. Virginia Tech 864 3. North Carolina 846 9. Virginia 868 4. Georgia Tech 847 10. Boston College 886 5. Wake Forest 848 11. Maryland 906 6. Clemson 858
Name Place Rnd1 Rnd2 Rnd3 Total ========================= ===== ==== ==== ==== ===== Jonas Blixt 3t 69 70 69 208 Matt Savage 3t 68 69 71 208 Drew Kittleson 6t 72 68 70 210 Seath Lauer 13t 70 72 70 212 Cameron Knight 42 76 75 72 223
Seminole Men's Golf Team Finishes In 21st Place At NCAA West Regional Championship.
Blixt and Lauer lead Seminoles in final tournament of season.
BREMERTON, WA - The Florida State men's golf team finished in 21st place in the team standings as play in the NCAA West Regional Championship on the Olympic Course at the Golf Mountain Golf Course came to a close Saturday. The Seminoles were led in the individual standings by senior All-American Jonas Blixt who finished in a tied for 30th place. Neither the Seminoles as a team nor Blixt as an individual qualified to advance to next week's NCAA Championship finals.
No. 2 ranked Southern California won the regional championship with a two stroke victory over Oregon and a five stroke margin over Clemson of the ACC. The Trojans trailed the Ducks after the first round but took over the lead in the second round and held on to win the event. The top five team finishers had a decidedly Pac-10 flavor with Southern California, Oregon, Washington and UCLA taking four of the five final team finishes. Joey Benedetti of Oregon won the individual championship with a nine-under par score of 207.
Blixt (Hammaro, Sweden) led Florida State in the final standings with a five-over par score of 221 and led the Seminoles during the final round of the event with a two-under par score of 70. It marked the third time in his last five regional championship rounds that he had carded a single round score of even par or better. Blixt's score of 70 tied his regional championship career-low score; he also carded a 70 in the third round of the 2007 NCAA East Regional Championship.
Blixt closes his Florida State career as one of the most decorated golfers in school history. He is certain to earn All-America honors for the second time this season, is a two-time All-ACC honoree, became the first ACC individual Champion in school history in 2007 and led the Seminoles back to national prominence. Blixt helped the Seminoles to the 2008 ACC Championship - the first ACC championship in school history.
Sophomore Seath Lauer (Huntington, Ind.) finished in second among his Seminole teammates and in a tie for 71st place in the individual standings. He carded scores of 74-76-78 for a three round total of 228. He was followed in the team standings by freshman Drew Kittleson (tied for 114th place), sophomore Cameron Knight (tied for 114th place) and junior Matt Savage (tied for 121st place).
Florida State and ACC Coach of the Year Trey Jones enjoyed one of the top seasons in school history. In addition to advancing to the NCAA regional championship for the third consecutive season the Seminoles won three events this season - the Inverness Intercollegiate in the fall and the Seminole Intercollegiate and the ACC Championship in the spring. The Seminoles' victory at the Inverness Intercollegiate was Florida State's first team championship since the 1998 season. The three team wins for the Seminoles this year marked the first time since the 1994-95 fall and spring seasons that they have won at least three tournaments in a single year.
Additionally, Jones was named the ACC Coach of the Year and Blixt and Savage earned All-ACC honors for the second consecutive season. The Seminoles, who lose only Blixt to graduation, earned six top-five team finishes in its six events during the spring 2008 season. The Seminoles finished in the top five in eight of their 10 tournaments during the fall 2007 and spring 2008 seasons.
NCAA West Regional Championship/Par 72/FinalTeam Results Gold Mountain Golf Club/Olympic Course/Bremerton, Washington 1. Southern Cal 862 15. North Carolina 895 2. Oregon 864 16. Oregon State 898 3. Clemson 867 17. Kentucky 900 4. Washington 864 18. Kansas State 902 5. UCLA 876 19. UCF 903 6. Stanford 878 20. California 904 7. St. Mary's 884 21. Florida State 914 8. Arizona State 885 22. LSU 916 T9. Pepperdine 888 23. Denver 919 T9. San Diego State 888 24. UNLV 920 T9. Texas 888 25. San Diego 927 12. Texas Tech 889 26. Navy 931 13. Oklahoma 892 27. Columbia 950 14. Wisconsin 894
Name Place Rnd1 Rnd2 Rnd3 Total ========================= ===== ==== ==== ==== ===== Jonas Blixt 30t 74 77 70 221 Seath Lauer 71t 74 76 78 228 Drew Kittleson 114t 80 77 78 235 Cameron Knight 114t 79 78 79 236 Matt Savage 121t 77 75 84 236