For the second straight weekend, the Gophers men’s golf team failed to place in the top-10 of an invitational.
Minnesota shot 297-290-293 — 880 and finished tied with Connecticut for 11th place at the Florida Atlantic University Spring Break Invitational.
“We didn’t really play that well as a team,” head coach John Carlson said. “We didn’t have a full team effort; it seemed like we had two or three players play well, and at the college landscape, you need four or five every single round.”
Carlson said he would like to see more consistency from his team this season, which has no seniors.
“There’s a lot of guys that are playing in the events right now that don’t have a lot of experience because they’re young,” Carlson said. “Without any seniors, it seems like we’re looking for a little bit of leadership not only on the golf course but off the golf course.”
Erik Van Rooyen recorded the lowest score for the Gophers and shot 70-72-75 — 217. That score, according to Carlson, is nowhere near the junior’s potential low.
“This week wasn’t one of Erik’s best efforts,” Carlson said. “I certainly expect him full well to be there at the end of the year.”
The course conditions at the Fountains Country Club in Lake Worth, Fla., were calm for the first two rounds, and the winds picked up for the final round, according to Carlson.
David Haley Jr. was the second-lowest scorer for the team. Haley shot a 76-71-71 — 218.
“Haley had a very impressive final 36 holes,” Carlson said. “That’s probably the biggest bright spot for us right now, that he is playing at a pretty high level.”
Freshman Tyler Lowenstein was the third-lowest scorer for Minnesota and shot 75-74-73 — 222. Lowenstein had a consistent final round with 16 pars, a birdie and a double bogey. The double bogey was the result of an errant tee shot that ended up about an inch out of bounds, Carlson said.
“Tyler played great today,” Carlson said. “He made probably as many pars as anyone in the field this week.”
Carlson added that he sees the freshman remaining in the lineup for the foreseeable future.
“I think he’s got a bright future ahead of him, only having played six tournaments as a freshman,” he said.
Robert Bell shot 223 and Jon Trasamar shot 234.
Florida State won the FAU invite and shot 280-276-273. Brooks Koepka, Wesley Graham and Doug Letson finished first, second and third respectively for the Seminoles.
