The men’s golf team has been enjoying the national spotlight over the last few months.
Golf Week magazine’s national poll ranked FAU No. 85 out of the 100 best college golf teams in the country. Along with the ranking on Aug. 2, junior Carl McCauley became the second FAU men’s golfer to be selected to play in the United States Amateur Championship tournament.
But it’s not just the national spotlight that makes head coach Angelo Sands proud. The team’s 3.4 overall GPA does, too.
“I always make sure the guys are excelling on and off the field,” said Sands. “The first thing I say to them before they tee off is, ‘Have fun and learn.'”
It appears that the players are heeding Sands’ advice. Following the conference tournament in April, Kelly McHugh qualified for the Public Links Championship in July, where he performed two solid rounds of golf. Unfortunately for McHugh, he was one stroke shy of reaching the third round. He finished the tournament with a combined score of 148 strokes.
“My second day was looking pretty good despite bad weather,” said McHugh. “I hit a really good birdie on the 18th hole but it just wasn’t enough. All I could do was battle through the weather and play my best.”
FAU is hoping its success continues this season. The Owls are hoping to start off the upcoming season like 2009, finishing in the top three of their first seven tournaments.
But FAU wants to avoid a repeat of what happened in the conference tournament, where it sat in a disappointing 11th-place finish out of 12 teams.
“Last season was pretty disappointing, seeing all the talent we had on the team,” said McHugh. “We were looking forward to doing damage and just didn’t perform.”
The Owls are hoping to turn that around this season with the talent the team displays in the classroom and on the course.
| DATE | EVENT | PLACE |
| 09/26/10 | at Northwestern Invitational | Chicago, Ill. (Skokie Country Club) |
| 09/27/10 | Northwestern Invitational | Chicago, Ill. (Skokie Country Club) |
| 10/03/10 | Xavier Invitational | Fort Myers, Fla. (Renaissance Country Club) |
| 10/04/10 | Xavier Invitational | Fort Myers, Fla. (Renaissance Country Club) |
| 11/08/10 | Stetson Invitational | DeLand, Fla. (Victoria Hills Golf Club) |
| 11/09/10 | at Stetson Invitational | DeLand, Fla. (Victoria Hills Golf Club) |
| 02/25/11 | Bethune-Cookman Invitational | Daytona Beach, Fla. (LPGA Country Club) |
| 02/26/11 | Bethune-Cookman Invitational | Daytona Beach, Fla. (LPGA Country Club) |
| 02/27/11 | Bethune-Cookman Invitational | Daytona Beach, Fla. (LPGA Country Club) |
| 03/04/11 | USF Invitational Tampa, Fla. | (Lake Jovita Country Club) |
| 03/05/11 | USF Invitational Tampa, Fla. | (Lake Jovita Country Club) |
| 03/06/11 | at USF Invitational Tampa, Fla. | (Lake Jovita Country Club) |
| 03/14/11 | UCF Invitational Orlando, Fla. | (Rio Pinar Golf Club) |
| 03/15/11 | UCF Invitational Orlando, Fla. | (Rio Pinar Golf Club) |
| 03/25/11 | Spring Break Championship | Delray Beach, Fla. (Gleneages Country Club) |
| 03/26/11 | Spring Break Championship | Delray Beach, Fla. (Gleneages Country Club) |
| 03/27/11 | Spring Break Championship | Delray Beach, Fla. (Gleneages Country Club) |
04/09/11
Embry-Riddle Invitational
Daytona Beach, Fla. (Daytona Beach Golf Club)
04/10/11
Embry-Riddle Invitational
Daytona Beach, Fla. (Daytona Beach Golf Club)
04/25/11
Sun Belt Conference Championships
Muscle Shoals, Ala. (Smoking Joe Golf Club)
04/26/11
Sun Belt Conference Championships
Muscle Shoals, Ala. (Smoking Joe Golf Club) All Day
04/27/11
Sun Belt Conference Championships
Muscle Shoals, Ala. (Smoking Joe Golf Club)
