Men's Golf Finishes 2nd at Buccaneer Invitational

Men's Golf Finishes 2nd at Buccaneer Invitational
Runner-up Scott Smyers shot a career-best 6-under 207 at the Buccaneer Invitational. Photo by Jim McCurdy

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. -- Barry University's No. 2-ranked men's golf team finished second at the 14-team, 84-player Buccaneer Invitational presented by Carrabba's Italian Grill Tuesday at Normandy Shores Golf Club.

The Bucs shot 12-under 840 in the 54-hole tournament that began Monday on the par-71, 6,733-yard course where Barry had won the last five consecutive event titles. No. 1 Nova Southeastern shot 25-under 827 to win the tournament. No. 5 Lynn was third at 3-over 855.

Barry junior Scott Smyers was runner-up to Nova's Ben Taylor after shooting 6-under 207. Smyers, who had 12 birdies in the 54-hole tournament that was delayed by lightning and rain Monday, fired a 69-68 in the final two rounds. Taylor won the individual title by three strokes over Smyers.

Second-round play was not completed Monday due to darkness after the roughly two-hour delay. Even after the final hole was concluded for each of the field's threesome pairings, a lengthy ruling delayed completion of the second round for official scoring purposes Tuesday. But the final round was completed without any hiccups in one of the marquee NCAA Division II regular season tournaments.

Smyers' 207 was a career-low, and his runner-up finish matched a career-best, having finished second at the 2012 Matlock Collegiate Classic.

Bucs newcomer Adam Svensson tied the school record for low round with his final-round 65. It marked the third straight year a Barry golfer has shot 65 in the Buccaneer Invitational. Svensson finished tied for third with Nova's Hunter O'Mahony at 5-under 208. Svensson, who shot 1-under 70 in the second round, finished the tournament with 15 birdies. That tied for second with three others, one behind Taylor's tournament-leading 16.

Barry senior Marcus Segerstrom tied for 10th, marking his sixth top-10 finish this season, after shooting par in the final round. He finished at 1-under 212. Segerstrom was 5-under on par-5 scoring.

Buccaneer junior Jaime Rodriguez tied for 31st at 219. He shot 75-74 in the second and third rounds, respectively. Junior Jared Dalga tied for 36th at 220. He shot 70-78 in the final two rounds.

Playing as an individual, Barry senior Simon Forsslund tied for 20th at 4-over 217. He fired a career-best 3-under 68 in the second round, and closed with a 73. Forsslund has finished in the top 20 in both of the events he's competed in this season. He had 12 birdies in the 54-hole event.

Barry junior Marcelo Huarte and sophomore Berry Jole, also playing as individuals, tied for 31st, matching Rodriguez's 219. Huarte shot 73 in each of the three rounds, while Jole finished with a 75-72 in the final two rounds. Sophomore John Yu tied for 46th at 222. He shot par in the final round, following a 78 in the second. Freshman Alvaro Beltran shot 80-81 in the final two rounds.

The Buccaneers will compete in the Sunshine State Conference Championships April 15-16 at Lake Jovita Golf & Country Club in Dade City, Fla.

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