Feb. 10, 2008 GAINAESVILLE, Fla. - The No. 13 Florida State men's golf team, with three individuals earning top-10 placings, finished in second place in the final standings at the SunTrust Gator Invitational at the University of Florida Golf Course. Senior All-American Jonas Blixt and sophomore Seath Lauer finished in a tied for sixth place while freshman Drew Kittleson finished in a tie for ninth place in the individual standings. Florida State, which is ranked No. 13 in the latest ranking by GolfWeek Magazine and No. 15 by GolfStat, finished with an eight-under par team score of 832. They finished behind the host Gators and ahead of five other teams ranked in the nation's top 30 including No. 9 Duke who finished in a tie for sixth place in the team standings. The Gators entered the event ranked No. 12 in the GolfWeek poll and No. 18 by GolfStat. Duke's Michael Schachner and Zach Sucher of UAB were co-individual medalists with identical scores of seven-under par 203. It was decided not to play a playoff and the two shared medalist honors. "While I am disappointed that we did not challenge Florida in the final round, I am proud of the way we finished the final nine holes," said Head Coach Trey Jones. "This team loves to compete and never quits. When you have three guys finish in the top 10 and four in the top 21, it shows that our young guys are beginning to show signs of improvement. There were not two players in the field who played as well as Seath and Drew over the final 36 holes of the event." Blixt (Hammaro, Sweden) earned his 13th career top-10 finish as he closed the event with a three-under par total of 207. His 207 total ranks as the best three-round score of his career and is six strokes better than his 213 total which earned him medalist honors at the 2007 Gator Invitational. Blixt carded back-to-back scores of 67 in the first and second rounds of the event. Lauer (Huntington, Ind.) tied his career low with a 67 in the final round of the event and finished with a career-low score of 207. His tied for sixth place finish is the second best of his career - behind only his tied for fourth place finish at the spring 2007 Linger Longer Invitational. Lauer finished the event with scores of 68 in the second round and 67 in the third round and moved up 15 positions in the individual standings after beginning the final round in a tie for 21st place. Freshman Drew Kittleson (Scottsdale, Ariz.) earned the first top-10 finish of his young career as he closed the event with a two-under par 68 to finish with a career best 208 total and a tied for ninth place finish. He closed the event with consecutive scores of 68. Kittleson's scores of 68 marked career-low scores for the freshman and were five strokes better than his previous low of 73 which he carded during the first round of the fall 2007 Isleworth/UCF Collegiate Invitational. Junior All-American Matt Savage (Louisville, KY) finished in a tie for 21st while junior Nicholas Smith finished in a tie for 57th and Cameron Knight placed 65th. Savage played his best round of golf in the final round as he closed with an even par score of 70. The Seminoles continue their spring schedule as the play host to the Seminole Intercollegiate at Golden Eagle Country Club in Tallahassee on March 2-4. SunTrust Gator Invitational/Par 70/Final Team Scores
University of Florida Golf Course/Gainesville, Fla./Feb. 9-10, 2008
2/14. Florida State 278 276 278 832
T6. Jonas Blixt 67 67 73 207
T6. Seath Lauer 72 68 67 207
T9. Drew Kittleson 72 68 68 208
T21. Matt Savage 67 75 70 212
T57. Nicholas Smith 72 73 77 222
65. Cameron Knight 76 73 77 226 *
* competed as an individualSunTrust Gator Invitational/Par 70/Final Team Scores
University of Florida Golf Course/Gainesville, Fla./Feb. 9-10, 2008
1. Florida 820 T6. Louisiana State 853
2. Florida State 832 9. Coastal Carolina 856
3. Mississippi State 842 10. Georgia Southern 861
4. UAB 844 11. Ole Miss 862
5. South Alabama 851 12. North Florida 865
T6. Duke 853 13. South Florida 873
T6. Wake Forest 853 14. Georgia State 888
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