Oct. 12, 2009

Playing against some Florida's elite collegiate teams, the Florida Atlantic University men's golf team stands in fourth place after the first two rounds of the season-opening Florida Gulf Coast Invitational on Monday at the West Bay Golf Course in Estero, Fla.

FAU's top five golfers combined to post a strong 596 team score over the first 36 holes of tournament play. The team finds itself three strokes behind Stetson University for third place. Two teams from the host Florida Gulf Coast are leading the way with the "B" team carding a 579, while the Eagles' "A" team is in second place with a 587 score. Bethune-Cookman University rounds out the five-team tournament field.

Individually, Ben Silverman started his senior campaign in style by carding a one-over-par 145 score. He shot an even par 72 over the second 18 holes on Monday.

Carl McCauley trails Silverman by just two stokes after firing a one-over-par 73 in the opening round. Junior Kelly McHugh followed two identical 75 rounds. Justin Thompson and David Ziglar had three rounds in the 70s to round out the team's strong score. Michael Baskovich shot the lowest round of the day with a one-under-par 71 in the first round while competing in the tournament as an individual.

FAU will conclude the event by playing 18 holes on Tuesday, starting at 8 a.m.

Team Scores (after 36 holes):

1) Florida Gulf Coast "B" 579; 2) Florida Gulf Coast "A" 587; 3) Stetson 593; 4) Florida Atlantic 596; 5) Bethune-Cookman 646

Individual Scores (after 36 holes):

Ben Silverman 145, Carl McCauley 148, Kelly McHugh 150, Justin Thompson 153, David Ziglar 165