PONTE VEDRA, Fla. — The Navy men's golf team opened its spring ledger this weekend by finishing 15th at The Hayt in Ponte Vedra, Fla. The Mids covered the par-72 course at Sawgrass Country Club with a 54-hole mark of 972, carding their low round of the tournament in Monday's final round (333-320-319).
The field at this year's Hayt featured 13 teams ranked among the top 100, including two in the top 20 and nine in the top 50. Additionally, 16 individuals entered the competition ranked among the top 100 collegiate golfers in the country, including five among the top 50.
Host institution and 33rd-ranked North Florida (276-296-288=860, -4) claimed the team title for a fifth time, edging out #40 Charlotte (276-296-289=861, -3) by a stroke 860-861. The two schools were tied after each of the first two rounds before the Ospreys closed out the victory by shooting par in Monday's final round. Charlotte, meanwhile, finished 1-over over its final 18 holes.
LSU's Drew Doyle and North Florida's Nick Gabrelcik both closed out the tournament with a 6-under par 210. North Florida's Robbie Higgins held a 1-stroke advantage over his teammate heading into the final round (139-140), but it was Doyle who would turn in the low round of the tournament with a 6-under par 66 on Monday to pull even with Gabrelcik, a 2021 First-Team PING All-American and 2021 Phil Mickelson Outstanding Freshman Award winner, and share medalist honors in the final standings. Doyle, the 2021 All-Louisiana Golfer of the Year, did not factor into LSU's team score, as the second-year player competed as an individual.
Team captain
Chad Deegan (Sr / Newport Beach, Calif.) paced the Mids with his three-round mark of 231 (80-73-78, +15). The three-year letter winner, who placed 69th, turned in the team's low round of the tournament with a 1-over par 73 in the second round.
Keegan Shreves (Jr / Potomac, Md.), meanwhile, settled in and was perhaps the most consistent of Navy's golfers in their spring opener. The 2021 All-Patriot League standout turned in rounds of 80-81-80 to finish in 84th with a 25-over par 241.
Braxton Tracy (Jr / Huntersville, N.C.) and
Nicholas Klock (Sr / Moraga, Calif.) tied for 87th in the standings with a 31-over par 247. Tracy played as an individual, while Klock recovered nicely after struggling in the opening round by posting scores of 79 and 77 in the second and third rounds.
Newcomer
Noah Nuez (Fr / Laveen, Ariz.) placed 89th with a 42-over par 258 (82-87-89), while
David Miccoli (Sr / Ludlow, Mass.) closed out action in 90th with a 55-over par 271.
The Mids will have a short turnaround as they will make a return trip south when they compete in the Augusta Haskins Award Invitational presented by Valspar on Saturday and Sunday. Forest Hills Golf Club in Augusta, Ga. will serve as the host venue with the par-72 course spanning 7,086 yards. The field includes #2 Oklahoma State, #12 Texas, #16 Notre Dame, #24 Illinois, Mercer, #29 South Carolina, #33 North Florida, #34 Alabama, #42 Northwestern, #69 Central Florida, #94 Furman, Augusta, Chattanooga, Georgia State and Navy (rankings via Golfstat as of March 22).
### Go Navy ###
