The Miami University men's golf team came in 13th place this weekend at the FAU Spring Break Classic, finishing the tournament with a 12-over par 296 final round on Sunday. The RedHawks finished the tournament at 29-over par, with nationally ranked Florida State finishing the tournament at 22-under par, 19 strokes ahead of the nearest competitor.
Head Coach Zac Zedrick said the RedHawks could not quite put together a consistent team effort this weekend, and the overall team score showed it.
"It was honestly disappointing to finish the way we did, especially to move backwards the way we did the last round," Zedrick said.
Though Miami struggled overall this weekend, there were bright spots to be found. Freshman Luke Shaughnessy shot a 67 on Sunday, the lowest round by a RedHawk this season. This was made even more impressive by the fact that Shaughnessy hit his opening tee shot out of bounds, but still managed to save a bogey on the hole, culminating in a round that Zedrick called "arguably the best round of the week."
When asked about Shaughnessy's play so far this season, Zedrick noted that the freshman's hard work is starting to pay off.
"Luke only played once in the fall and struggled at that event," Zedrick said. "It took him time to get adjusted but he's been working incredibly hard the last couple of months. He's very teachable; he wants to learn and he's willing to learn."
Shaughnessy finished the tournament tied for 59th individually at 11-over par.
Junior Brett Tomfohrde was the top-ranking RedHawk this weekend, finishing tied for 30th at 5-over par. Junior Ben Peacock was not far behind, as he tied for 40th at seven-over par.
Other notable finishes for the RedHawks included Austin Kelly, who tied for 63rd at 12-over par and Mark MacDonald, who tied for 69th at 15-over par.
Though this weekend did not end as well as Miami had hoped, the golf team's progress has not gone unnoticed. Assistant Athletic Communications Director Mike Roth has noted the team's steady progress so far this season.
"I've seen them all make significant improvements individually," Roth said. "Ben Peacock and Brett Tomfohrde just set career lows, and Ben was named MAC Men's Golfer of the Week. The progress has been there."
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Looking ahead, Roth added that the RedHawks need to keep working on the little things, as "the short game and putting are the difference between shooting a 72 and a 77."
Zedrick also stressed additional improvement in key areas of practice, though the players will have a day or two to catch their breath. The team will not practice Monday, and each player will meet individually with Zedrick to discuss their play thus far, especially in the past week.
"Both tournaments serve as a reminder to the team how we need to stay engaged in the process," Zedrick said. "We're starting to see signs of progress... We've just got to continue believing in the process."
Miami's next test will be April 7-8 as they travel to University Park, PA to participate in The Rutherford tournament.
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