March 30, 2014
UCF Athletics Social Media Directory
By Andy Seeley
UCFKnights.com
LAKE WORTH, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) - The UCF men's golf team picked up its third victory of the season - and its first of the spring - at the FAU Slomin Autism Invite Sunday. The Knights were paced by senior Ricardo Gouveia, who led the tournament from start to finish and took medalist honors.
Gouveia entered Sunday's third and third round with a six-stroke advantage over teammate and fellow senior Greg Eason. Gouveia played a steady round of even par 71, pairing a couple birdies with a couple bogeys in the final round. He finished the tournament 10-under to take the title. It was the third victory of Gouveia's UCF career and his first this season.
We had a great individual performance this week from Ricardo Gouveia, wining the event with a score of 10-under in some very windy conditions, UCF head coach Bryce Wallor said. The team victory was led by Ricardo Gouveia and Greg Eason finishing first and second, respectively.
En route to runner-up honors, Eason made up four strokes on Sunday, but couldn't overtake Gouveia. Eason was 8-under for the tournament, after posting a 4-under 67 Sunday. After posting two bogeys on Friday, Eason finished up strong. He did not card a score over par on his final 42 holes of the tournament. He tallied six birdies Saturday and four more Sunday.
The senior duo paved the way for UCF to take the team title by six strokes over runner-up Georgia Southern, which held the team lead after the first round. The Knights and Eagles were the only two squads in the 15-team field to finish under par. Middle Tennessee State (+2) took third place.
This team continues to get off to slow starts, Wallor said. But they really show their toughness with a strong finish each week. I could not be more proud of the success of this team and all of the hard work that has gone in to our success.
In addition to Eason and Gouveia, two other Knights turned in Top 20 finishes in a field that featured 82 golfers. Freshman Federico Zucchetti finished in a tie for 12th at +2, while senior Kyle Wilshire finished tied for 17th at +5. Freshman Ryan Stovash rounded out the UCF lineup. He finished tied for 38th at 11-over. Junior Linus Vaisanen took part in the tournament as an individual, ending up in 59th place at +18.
The Knights have their final regular-season event slated for April 5-6. UCF will take part in the Insperity Augusta State Invitational in Augusta, Ga. The postseason begins April 27, with the American Athletic Conference Championship, which will be held in Palm Harbor, Fla.
Team Leaders
1. UCF 285-273-281=839 (-13)
2. Georgia Southern 278-285-282=845 (-7)
3. Middle Tennessee State 293-282-279 (+2)
UCF Golfers
1. Ricardo Gouveia 67-65-71=203 (-10)
2. Greg Eason 73-65-67=205 (-8)
T12. Federico Zucchetti 74-70-71=215 (+2)
T17. Kyle Wilshire 73-73-72=218 (+5)
T38. Ryan Stovash 72-78-74=224 (+11)
T59. Linus Vaisanen* 83-75-73=231 (+18)
*-played as an individual