New College of Florida Men's and Women's Golf return to competition Monday as both programs begin play at the Invite at Innisbrook, hosted by Dalton State.
The two-day men's and women's tournaments will be held Monday and Tuesday at Innisbrook Golf Resort in Palm Harbor, Florida.
Both Mighty Banyan programs enter the tournament following strong showings at the Battle at Black Diamond, where the NCF men placed third and the women finished fourth.
IMPORTANT LINKS
MEN'S LIVE LEADERBOARD
WOMEN'S LIVE LEADERBOARD
MEN'S TOURNAMENT NOTES
THE FIELD: The Mighty Banyans will compete in a 20-team men's field alongside host Dalton State, Blue Mountain Christian, Campbellsville, Central Alabama Community College, Coastal Georgia, Cumberland, Faulkner, Grand View, Keiser, Point, Reinhardt, SCAD, Southeastern, St. Thomas, Tennessee Southern, Science and Arts of Oklahoma, Wayland Baptist, Webber International and William Carey.
THIRD AT BLACK DIAMOND: NCF placed third out of 11 teams at the Battle at Black Diamond, completing the three-round tournament at 22-over with a team score of 886. The Mighty Banyans were the top Sun Conference team in the field, placing ahead of Ave Maria and Florida College.
WATKINS LEADS THE WAY: Tripp Watkins produced the best performance of his young NCF career at Black Diamond, placing fourth overall at 1-under with a three-round total of 215. Watkins carded rounds of 71, 69 and 75 and was the top NAIA and Sun Conference golfer in the field.
DEPTH ON DISPLAY: NCF's group of individuals placed fourth in the team standings at Black Diamond with a score of 891, just five strokes behind the Mighty Banyans' starting five. Cameron Cantine led the group by tying for eighth at 3-over, while Dallas Torres and Alexander Ogle tied for 17th at 6-over.
BANYANS FILL LEADERBOARD: NCF had six golfers place inside the top 17 at Black Diamond. Along with Watkins and Cantine, Oscar Munoz and Avery Shahriari tied for 11th at 5-over, while Torres and Ogle shared 17th at 6-over.
STRONG START TO THE FALL: The Mighty Banyans have placed inside the top six in each of their first two tournaments. NCF opened with a sixth-place showing at the Coastal Georgia Men's Fall Invitational before improving to third at Black Diamond.
WOMEN'S TOURNAMENT NOTES
THE FIELD: The Mighty Banyans will compete in a 13-team women's field alongside host Dalton State, Blue Mountain Christian, Coastal Georgia, Faulkner, Pikeville, Reinhardt, SCAD, Southeastern, Spring Hill, Tennessee Southern, Truett McConnell and Science and Arts of Oklahoma.
FOURTH AT BLACK DIAMOND: NCF placed fourth out of nine teams at the Battle at Black Diamond, completing the three-round tournament at 74-over with a team score of 938. The Mighty Banyans were the second-highest NAIA team in the field behind SCAD.
FALLIS LEADS NCF: Alexa Fallis recorded NCF's top individual result at Black Diamond, tying for eighth overall at 12-over with a three-round total of 228. Fallis placed fifth among NAIA golfers and fourth among Sun Conference competitors in the field.
VETERANS PACK THE LEADERBOARD: Rebecca Luchs and Brittany Odic were separated by just one stroke at Black Diamond. Luchs placed 20th with a three-round total of 235, while Odic followed in 21st at 236. Tereza Miksovska tied for 26th at 243, while Madison Balaskiewicz tied for 32nd at 252.
BEST TEAM RESULT OF THE FALL: Black Diamond marked NCF's best team result through its first three tournaments of the season. The Mighty Banyans opened the fall at the Coastal Georgia Fall Invitational before competing at the PDI Shootout at PGA National and returning home for their fourth-place showing at Black Diamond.
BACK AT INNISBROOK: NCF returns to the Invite at Innisbrook after Odic placed eighth at the event last season. She recorded a three-round total of 221 at 8-over, one of three top-10 finishes during a season that concluded with Third-Team NAIA All-America honors.
UP NEXT: New College of Florida Men's and Women's Golf will return to competition Oct. 25-27 at the Southeastern University Invitational.
