Men's golf team places second, advances to national tournament

The Eastern Florida State College men's golf team shot the best round of the day but could not catch Central Alabama in the District 4 Championship at Duran Golf Club.

The Titans shot a 289 Tuesday to finish second in the three-round tournament and advance to the NJCAA Division I National Championship Tournament May 15-18 in Lubbock, Texas.

Eastern Florida State College came into the final round down by 16 strokes but came storming back on Tuesday to get within four of Central Florida who shot 301 in the final round.

Sophomore Kyle Decenzo led the Titans with a 69 in the final round which was tied for the best round of the day. Decenzo finished tied for ninth in the tournament and will go to the national tournament for the first time.

"I gave myself opportunities by hitting fairways and greens and had a couple putts fall. I feel comfortable over every shot here and I feel like my game is getting better but knowing I have played this course hundreds of times, I know I can hit any shot out here," Decenzo said. "I am more than excited to get to play at the national tournament and am ready to do what I can for the team and play my heart out in Texas."

Sophomore Fraser Davren finished with a birdie on the 18^th to card a 73 and tied for fourth place overall with a three-round total of 218.

"Disappointed a little bit, I feel like we are almost there. You can see when we play well, like today, we are a tough team to beat but Central Alabama played well," Davren said. "We will take a break for final exams and then work on some things and be ready for the national tournament."

Teammate Greg Darnell shot a 74 and finished in 11^th place with a 221 while Ryan Rozic shot a 73 to place in a tie for 12^th. Freshman Beck Fox finished tied for 16^th after shooting a 76 in the final round.

Rozic and Davren were named to the all-district team.

The Titans will advance to the national championship tournament for the 16^th straight season and has placed in the top three in the District 4 Championship seven years in a row.