Men's golf team opens Monday with Titan Winter Invitational

The Eastern Florida State College men's golf team will open the spring season this week with the Titan Winter Invitational.

The event will host 12 teams and will be played on Monday and Tuesday at Suntree Country Club's Classic Course with two rounds on Monday and then the final round on Tuesday morning.

"We are looking forward to this event, it has been wet so we haven't been able to practice as much there, but the guys know it well. We played it in the fall and it changes a bit in the spring but we kick off the season at home, which is always good," Eastern Florida State College men's golf coach Jamie Howell said. "Everyone wants to get going so everyone looks forward to it."

The Titans return three players from last year's team that won the Southeast District title and placed 13th in the NJCAA Division I National Tournament. Adam Vermut, Nick Miller and Bryan Hernandez all played as freshmen so return with experience.

"We have good stability with the top three, Masen (McKain) has been a strong presence in the fall and Campbell (Kennedy) will be a good addition to the group," Howell said. "Jamie (Chepenik) has been as steady as can be and the issue is going to be somebody will be on the outside looking in. In the fall it was obvious who the top five were and now there is some competition."

Last year the Titans finished second at the Titan Invitational, losing to New Mexico Junior College in a playoff and have finished in the top two the past two seasons and six of the past eight seasons, winning twice.

"It's a good tournament, we play well there and placed second last year, going to a playoff with New Mexico – to be able to come back is definitely an opportunity to seal the deal. I am looking for to it," Vermut said.

The Titan Invitational kicks off a busy spring schedule for the Titans, who will play four tournaments before the Southeast District Championship April 22-23. For the freshmen, it is a chance to show how much they improved in the fall season.

"Just getting used to the structure between classes and practice, learning how to maneuver around everything and still prepare for tournaments like you would normally do," McKain said. "We have a great group of guys here and if we just play our game, the results will follow."

In the fall the team got off to a great start, winning the Dan York Memorial tournament and was second at the Southeast District Preview, but didn't finish the way that they wanted to.

"Last semester we started off hot and then we got beat so we want to keep the momentum going this year. You lose to others, that really gets to you, and you don't want it to happen again, so it does drive you a bit," Hernandez said.

The team will tee off at 8:15 a.m. Monday in the first round of the Titan Invitational at Suntree Country Club.