HOWEY-IN-THE-HILLS, Fla. – The Lynn University men's golf team opened its 2026-27 campaign with an eighth-place finish at the Griffin Invitational on Tuesday afternoon at Mission Inn Resort's El Campeón course. The Fighting Knights finished the 54-hole tournament at +30 after rounds of +6, +10 and +14, while Sebastiano Mascia led the Blue and White with a three-round score of +6 to tie for 18th individually.
 
INSIDE THE TOURNAMENT:
Griffin Invitational
Lynn Finish: 8th of 10 (+30)
Team Winner: Palm Beach Atlantic (-23)
Individual Winner: Jonah Leach, Palm Beach Atlantic (-11)
Course: Mission Inn Resort - El Campeón | Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla. | 7,015 yards | Par 72
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Mascia paced the Fighting Knights throughout the season opener, carding rounds of 74 (+2), 75 (+3) and 73 (+1) to finish tied for 18th at +6
- The senior closed the tournament with his best round of the week, firing a 73 (+1) during Tuesday's final round
- Tristan Wieland made his Lynn debut with rounds of 73 (+1), 76 (+4) and 77 (+5), finishing tied for 33rd at +10
- Cole Ropicky joined Wieland in a tie for 33rd at +10, highlighted by an even-par 72 in the opening round
- James McNair also made his Fighting Knight debut, finishing 46th at +14 after opening the tournament with back-to-back rounds of 75 (+3)
- Matthew DePinto finished tied for 47th at +15, while Theo Desroches rounded out Lynn's competitors in a tie for 49th at +17
- Desroches bounced back from an opening-round 81 with an even-par 72 in the second round, matching Ropicky for Lynn's lowest round of the tournament
- The Fighting Knights were particularly effective on the par-5s, playing them at nine-under for the tournament with a 4.88 scoring average, the second-best mark in the 10-team field
- Desroches was four-under on the par-5s individually, tying for seventh in the field with a 4.67 scoring average
- DePinto was one-under across the par-3s, tying for fifth in the field in par-3 scoring at 2.92
- McNair recorded Lynn's lone eagle of the tournament, while the Fighting Knights finished with 39 birdies and 197 pars as a team
 
UP NEXT:
The Fighting Knights return to action Sept. 21-22 at the Jay Jennison Cup, hosted by Flagler at the World Golf Village's Slammer & Squire Course in St. Augustine, Florida.