DeLand, Fla. – With its sixth victory of the season, Lynn University's men's golf team has advanced to the 2011 NCAA Division II Men's Golf Championships. The Fighting Knights took first out of 20 teams at the South/Southeast Regional while Ricardo Gouveia earned top individual honors for the second time this year.
Lynn set numerous program records at the NCAA South/Southeast Regional hosted at the Victoria Hills Golf Club. The win further extended the current record of victories in a season while it also marks the first time the Blue & White has won an NCAA Regional after finishing runner-up three times previously. LU has also reached the NCAA Championship for a record third consecutive year and fifth time overall.
Gouveia was his masterful self in locking down his second tournament victory and eighth top-10 finish , which ties the school record held by Hoyt McGarity and Andy Farmer. The Sunshine State Conference Freshman of the Year carded a one-under par 71 in the final round to finish with a 54-hole total of 212. Gouveia was among the field's leaders in birdies (T-2nd with 13), par-3 scoring (T-2nd, even) and par-5 scoring (T-3rd, five-under).
Seven strokes back were teammates Pepito Joia and Roberto Francioni. Joia logged his sixth top-10 finish while Francioni picked up his second. Lynn has 23 top-10 finishes on the season, one shy of tying the record held by the 2004-05 and 2005-06 squads. Francioni had a five-shot improvement from the second round in firing a one-under 71.
Also posting his best round of the tournament was Daniel Young. Always one to show improvement throughout a 54-hole event, Young headed into the clubhouse with a 71 to close out play with a 221 total. Paul McPhee stepped up when LU needed it most today, carding a 75 for a three-day total of 233.
Lynn was the only school to not only shoot even par as a team (288) in the final round but the only squad to have two rounds of even par during the tournament. The Knights finished with a (+5) 869, four strokes better than second place Barry (873). Barton (877) and Newberry (879) remained in third and fourth while Columbus State (885) jumped three spots into fifth.
The top-five teams qualify for the NCAA Championship which will be held at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Course at the Shoals in Florence, Ala., from May 16-20.
Team Results
Lynn (288-293-288=869/1st)
Individual Results
Ricardo Gouveia (67-74-71=212/T-1st)
Roberto Francioni (72-77-71=219/T-7th)
Pepito Joia (73-69-77=219/T-7th)
Daniel Young (76-74-71=221/T-25th)
Paul McPhee (80-78-75=233/T-86th)
