“There was no doubt in my mind that Greg Eason had earned the right to be the American Men’s Golf Player of the Year in 2014,” ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ head coach Bryce Wallor said. “For me it has not been the on-the-course accomplishments that have been so impressive, but the intensity and frequency of which he practices and prepares. Greg Eason has come to practice and qualifying every day with a goal of getting better and winning each day he steps on the course. This is a goal that is often talked about by many players but one that is rarely executed.”

Eason was also named to The American’s all-conference team. He was joined on the all-conference team by fellow senior Ricardo Gouveia.

“I am very pleased that Greg Eason and Ricardo Gouveia were named to the AAC All-Conference Team,” Wallor said. “These two seniors have worked very hard for the success of our program during their careers at ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½. It is an honor to have had the opportunity to coach two very talented and dedicated young men and to call Greg and Ricardo my friends.”

Eason leads the Knights with a 70.1 stroke average for the season. Of his 30 rounds this season, he has scored par or better in 22. He has finished in the Top 10 in nine of 10 events in 2013-14 and was in the Top 20 in every tournament. He also has two individual victories, winning the John Hayt Invitational back in February and taking medalist honors at the 3M Augusta Invitational in early April.

For Eason, the American Athletic Conference awards come on the heels of his selection as Conference USA Player of the Year and First-Team All-CUSA in 2013. Eason was a PING First-Team All-America selection and All-Southeast Region honoree last season as well. As a sophomore, Eason was a Second-Team All-CUSA selection and an honorable mention PING All-America choice. He was the 2011 Conference USA Freshman of the Year and was also a Second-Team All-CUSA choice that season.

Gouveia ranks No. 2 on the Knights with a stroke average of 71. He has played 19 of his 30 rounds at par or better. Gouveia has turned in seven Top 10 performances and has finished in the Top 20 nine times in his 10 outings. He was the individual champion at the FAU Slomin Autism Invitational in late March.

Gouveia was a and All-America honorable mention honors in 2012. He was also the Conference USA Newcomer of the Year that season. Prior to joining the Knights, Gouveia was a PING Division II All-America player as a freshman at Lynn University.

Eason, Gouveia and the rest of the Knights are currently preparing for play at the NCAA San Antonio Regional. The regional tournament begins Thursday at the Briggs Ranch Golf Club. The top five squads in each of six regionals will advance to the NCAA Championship.

The No. 6 ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ men’s golf team entered the final round of the 3M Augusta Invitational tied with No. 19 Texas. The Knights edged the Longhorns by one stroke Sunday at the Forest Hills Golf Club to take the one-shot victory. The Knights topped 13 other squads as well, en route to their second consecutive victory – and fourth of the season.

The 3M Augusta Invitational featured five Top 20 teams and 12 Top 50 squads, including No. 13 Virginia Tech, No. 9 Illinois and No. 27 Baylor, which rounded out the top five finishers in the event. ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ also defeated No. 8 Houston, No. 22 New Mexico, No. 23 South Carolina, No. 28 Clemson, No. 42 Purdue, No. 43 Tennessee and No. 46 TCU.

β€œWhat a fantastic win for ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½,” Knights head coach Bryce Wallor said. β€œThis was clearly the best of the 15-team tournament victories we’ve had in the last five seasons. I’m so proud of the total team effort this week. Every player made an important scoring contribution. This is positive momentum going into the postseason.”

In addition to the Knights’ second straight team victory, ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ picked up individual medalist honors at the 3M Augusta Invitational.

After Ricardo Gouveia won last week, senior Greg Eason stepped up this week. Eason was 11-under for the tournament. He opened with a red-hot 66 Saturday to grab the lead and he never relinquished it. Eason followed up with a 71 in the second round and was 4-under with a 68 Sunday. Eason birdied four of the last nine holes Sunday to pull out the win, his six career victory and his second this season.

Gouveia was solid once again this weekend, as well. The senior finished sixth at 7-under for the tournament. Of the 75 players entered, only seven were under par in each round. Eason and Gouveia were two of them. Gouveia fired a 1-under 71 Sunday.

Senior Kyle Wilshire also managed a Top 10 finish. He rebounded from a rocky first-round 75 to post scores of 67 and 70 in the final two rounds. That left Wilshire 4-under for the tournament and tied for eighth.

β€œOur three seniors stepped up big this week,” Wallor said of Eason, Gouveia and Wilshire.

Freshman Federico Zucchetti and junior Linus Vaisanen rounded out the ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ lineup. Zucchetti tallied a 1-over 73 Sunday to finish 5-over and tied for 40th place. Vaisanen was tied for 63rd, going 10-over for the tournament.

The Knights will now enter preparations for the postseason. ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ plays the American Athletic Conference Championship April 27-29 in Palm Harbor, Fla.

Team Leaders

1. ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ 287-277-282=846 (-18)
2. Texas 284-280-283=847 (-17)
3. Virginia Tech 280-285-285=850 (-14)

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Golfers

The Crimson Tide led virtually wire to wire and took the prestigious event’s team championship, but not without a battle from the No. 16 Knights. A little more than halfway through Tuesday’s third and final round, ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ was just three strokes back. While Alabama was able to push its lead back out to a more comfortable margin, the Knights still came away with their best-ever finish at their final event of the fall season.

Alabama put together a three-day total of 838 (-26) to take the victory and set a new tournament record for total team score. ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ took runner-up honors with a final tally of 850 (-14). California, the defending ICI champion, was the only other team to finish under par at 859 (-5).

β€œI think it shows the development and maturity of our program,” ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ head coach Bryce Wallor said of his team’s finish. β€œWe have a bunch of seniors on our golf team. We have guys that know how to play the golf course. So I think that led to us inevitably having a great golf tournament. Maybe any other year that score we put up wins, but this year we had to play a very good Alabama team.”

The Knights picked up victories over No. 4 California, No. 6 Illinois, No. 11 New Mexico, No. 15 Texas and No. 18 Arkansas. In addition to those squads, the Knights finished in front of a total of 13 other teams, 12 of which were ranked among the top 50 in the nation.

Alabama’s Trey Mullinax tied the individual tournament record with an 11-under total of 205 for the tournament. He tallied scores of 66, 68 and 71 to take the victory.

Meanwhile, ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ was paced by three top-10 finishers. Senior Kyle Wilshire put together rounds of 71, 71 and 70 for a 4-under 212. Freshman Ryan Stovash was just behind, tying for fifth. He carded rounds of 70, 71 and 72 to finish 3-under. Senior Greg Eason slipped from third place after the first two rounds to a tie for eighth. After scoring 68 and 69 in the first two rounds, the All-America performer struggled a bit on Tuesday finishing up with a 78 for a 215 (-1).

Senior Ricardo Gouveia opened with a 77, but followed with rounds of 70 and 71 to finish with a three-round score of 218 (+2) and in a tie for 18th. Junior transfer Linus Vaisanen rounded out the Knights’ lineup in a tie for 28th, firing scores of 73, 73 and 74 for a 4-over 220.

β€œWe had a great tournament,” Stovash said. β€œA lot of guys played well and we beat a couple good teams and we finished second, which was awesome.”

The Knights are now off from competition until Feb. 15-16, when they will open the spring portion of their schedule at the Gator Invitational in Gainesville, Fla.

β€œYou look at our fall and we started the season with two wins, a fifth and now a second in a very good golf tournament,” Wallor said. β€œIt gives us something to build on. Obviously Alabama setting the bar pretty high gives us the notion that we need to improve. So we’ll look at the off-season as a chance to improve and see if we can be a little more competitive in the spring.”

Team Leaders

1. Alabama 280-272-286=838 (-26)
2. ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ 282-281-287=850 (-14)
3. California 284-286-289=859 (-5)

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Golfers

4. Kyle Wilshire 71-71-70=212 (-4)

T5. Ryan Stovash 70-71-72=213 (-3)

T8. Greg Eason 68-69-78=215 (-1)

T18. Ricardo Gouveia 77-70-71=218 (+2)

T28. Linus Vaisanen 73-73-74=220 (+4)

In addition to Eason’s victory, the Knights tied for second as a team to advance to the NCAA Championships for the second consecutive year and the sixth in program history. No. 39 ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ finished the tournament 13-under and tied for runner-up honors with No. 15 Georgia. No. 3 UCLA won the team title, finishing -30. No. 22 Texas A&M and Arizona State rounded out the top five teams, which will all advance to the NCAA Championships.

Eason was in second place after the first round after shooting a 5-under 65. He carded a 63 in the second round to take the lead and move to 12-under for the tournament. His Friday score was the best individual round of the entire regional. Saturday, Eason tallied an even-par 70 to bring home the four-stroke victory.

β€œI picked a lot of good targets and was lucky enough to hit the targets,” Eason said. β€œI putted really well out there. With no wind, the ball goes a long way out here. I was a little conservative today, but tried to be aggressive as well. I managed to hit a lot of good shots and holed a lot of putts on the first two days.”

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ head coach Bryce Wallor said Eason had been working toward this result throughout the season.

β€œGreg has been building all spring,” Wallor said. β€œHe just continues to play well. He had a great round of golf yesterday and a very steady day today.”

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½β€™s Ricardo Gouveia was also at the top of the leaderboard. He was under par in each round of the tournament (68-66-68) and tied for runner-up honors with UCLA’s Gonathan Garrick.

With the team finishing in a tie for second, Eason and Gouveia weren’t the only Knights who played well. Kyle Wilshire tied for 30th and was +2 for the tournament after finishing strong at -2 Saturday. Jose Joia was tied for 41st and was 1-under in the third round to finish at +5 for the tournament.

β€œThis was the first time for us this year that we really had four guys contribute,” Wallor said. β€œWe’ve had three guys play well at times. But this week, we got four guys to step up and play well throughout the event. I think it helped with the chemistry. Once they started feeling good, good things happened.”

Eason said knowing the entire team was playing well helped him finish strong.

β€œToward the end, I started to get a sense we were doing all right,” Eason said. β€œI found out we were doing pretty good on 17. It always helps knowing the guys are doing well, too. Everyone looked pretty good on the course. It did help.”

The Knights will now prepare for the NCAA Championship, which will be held May 28-June 2 in Atlanta, Ga.

NCAA Tempe Regional Championship

Team Leaders

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Golfers

Head coach team concluded the regional at 5-under 835, just two shots ahead of sixth-place Tennessee. The top five teams at each of the six regional sites nationally advanced to the NCAA Championship, which is set for May 29-June 3 in Pacific Palisades, Calif. The Knights last played in the championship in 2009.

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ entered the final round in eighth but carded a 2-under 278 Saturday, compared to 4-over for Tennessee. Four of the Knights’ five golfers had par or better rounds on the final 18, led by and , who both posted 1-under 69 rounds. Joia finished tied for eighth at 5-under 205, while fellow sophomore Gouveia tied for 18th (208, -2).

“We are ecstatic,” Wallor said. “Going into the last round, we knew we were ready to play. Our guys flat out got it done.”

and both recorded 70s (E) Saturday and tied for 27th at 211 (+1).

No. 2 California won the regional title at 815 (-25). No. 14 San Diego State placed second at 821 (-9), followed by UAB (830, -10) and No. 8 Stanford (832, -8).

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ was making its sixth-consecutive NCAA Regional appearance and its third under Wallor.

“I am very happy for our team. I am so proud of them for putting their nose down and doing that they needed to do,” Wallor said.

Then, as Brad makes his way down the fairway and follows drives that often travel 290 yards or more, the ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ senior’s cover is immediately blown. How could it be, Jim Schneider wonders to himself, that Brad’s form over the golf ball is so natural and his swing is so beautiful, but simply walking sometimes looks awkward and painful?

Considering all that he’s been through, it’s a minor miracle that is even here leading ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ to its fourth consecutive NCAA Regional tournament. Despite suffering a horrific injury years ago that would have crippled many and one that forces him to limp today, Schneider’s golf swing still looks as if it belongs on an instructional DVD.

“If you watch Brad walk, he actually plays golf better than he walks,” Jim Schneider said with amazement. “Even to this day, I can’t believe that there’s not an effect on his golf game. But Brad’s swing trainer, Todd Anderson, said the other day, `If (Brad) didn’t have shorts on you’d never know he had a bad ankle.’ Brad’s been able to overcome everything pretty well.”

By everything Jim Schneider is referring to a nightmarish series of events that not only nearly took away Brad’s ability to play golf, but to walk again. Brad’s story is one of pain and perseverance, labor and loyalty and ultimately hope for the future.

Five years ago — and just a couple of months after Schneider had accepted a scholarship to play golf at ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ — a pick-up football game left him with a broken femur in his right leg. As if that weren’t bad enough for the aspiring golfer, Schneider suffered major nerve damage in both legs, and he had to endure several surgeries, four months in a hospital bed and not being able to walk without assistance for six months. Compartment Syndrome and Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy developed in his left leg, causing most of the discomfort that persists today. But you’d never be able to tell by watching Brad’s sweet swing on the golf course.

There were dozens of dark days along the road to recovery, but as the most recent winner of the David Toms Award — which is given to the men’s collegiate golfer who has overcome adversity — Schneider feels fortunate to still be able to enjoy the game he loves so much.

“When the accident happened, all of those thoughts were floating through my head … `What’s going to happen? … How long will it take for me to come back?'” he remembers. “There were times when I was completely down in the dumps and questioning everything and wondering why this happened to me. I was wondering what I was going to do the rest of my life. I had those points, but fortunately I didn’t spend a lot of time alone. That kept me going and kept my drive and it helped me get back on the golf course.”

“The accident”
To this day, Schneider still refers to what happened on that November day in 2006 that changed his life forever as “the accident.”

Schneider had a big group of friends, ones with whom he regularly played baseball and golf while growing up in Valrico, outside of Tampa. Two months after agreeing to play college golf at ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½, Schneider rounded up 11 to 13 other friends for a game of boys-being-boys, roughhouse football the day before Thanksgiving.

After catching a pass and running for what he thought would be a touchdown, the 5-foot-6, 150-pound Schneider was pulled backward by his shoulders. His right leg was pinned underneath him as he fell back and the snapping of his femur was so grotesque and loud that it was heard by several of his buddies.

“My leg got caught back behind me really awkwardly, and I heard a snap and felt a lot of pain,” Schneider remembers. “It was the upper part of my leg, but I really didn’t know if it was my knee, my hip or my femur until the ambulance got there. There was just so much pain.”

He was rushed to the same Brandon hospital where his mother, Becky, worked as a nurse. Surgery followed on Thanksgiving Day to repair the fractured right femur, but it was actually just the start of Schneider’s medical issues.

Because he suffered such immense trauma, nerve damage hit his left leg the next day. Schneider ultimately developed compartment syndrome, a serious condition that involves increased pressure in a muscle compartment that can lead to muscle and nerve damage and blood flow problems.

Schneider said he doesn’t even remember what came next – and that’s probably a good thing. Over the next six days, he needed four more surgeries on his left leg. Doctors estimate that Brad lost 90 percent of the muscle and fascia tissue in his left leg because of the trauma. Later, he needed two more surgeries to block the nerves shooting down into his feet.

At that point, playing golf again was the furthest thing from the thoughts of the Schneider family. They simply hoped that their son’s pain would dissipate and he’d be able to walk again.

“We were in constant contact with the doctors about the prognosis. Our first worry, naturally, was walking and getting back to a normal life because at the time we didn’t know what was going to happen,” Jim Schneider said. “It was tough to watch.”

One thing that helped throughout the troubling time was the support of then-ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ golf coach , now a coach at Auburn. Clinard phoned Schneider on the day of the accident and promised that the spot on the ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ golf team would still be there waiting for him after he recovered.

For a teenager just hoping to walk again, ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½’s undying support meant everything.

“Coach Clinard he never lost confidence in me. He told me to get well and that he was still looking for me to come to ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½,” Brad said. “All of the support from everyone at ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ has been huge for me, allowing me to come back and play again. I don’t know what would have happened at any other school. It was huge for Coach Clinard to stand by me and give me another chance. I had to get back and I think I surprised him.”

Back on course
Brad spent four months in a hospital bed, but was able to go home early because his mother was a nurse and could care for him. And even though it was six months before he walked for the first time without assistance, Brad was back around the golf course chipping and putting eight weeks later.

Schneider’s love for golf was passed down from three generations. For years, there were pictures in his grandfather’s Sun City home of a tiny Brad holding toy golf clubs in his hands.

Not long after that, he began to show an immense promise of someone well beyond his years on the golf course. Despite being small compared to others, Brad could crank drives longer than his friends and even started whipping his grandpa and father on the golf course at a young age.

“By 9 or 10 years old, I started playing a lot and started shooting some scores. I started breaking 80 and then I broke 70 the first time when I was 13,” Brad said in a matter-of-fact manner.

Remarkably, it wasn’t long after learning to walk that Schneider was shooting similar under-par scores with the assistance of a brace on his left leg and ankle. Working daily with golf trainer Randy Meyers and later testing out a variety of braces that would allow him to incorporate the golf swing on wobbly legs, Brad started chipping and putting, worked his way to his mid irons and in a matter of weeks began driving the ball once again.

Getting back on the golf course was the fuel for his inner engine. It made him singularly focused, much the way he is now when he pounds balls for hours on the driving range on off days.

“The first time I stepped foot back on a golf course I was just chipping and putting because it was the easiest thing to do. But really I didn’t know how I was ever going to swing a golf club again,” Brad admitted. “I just had to find the right brace appropriate for the golf swing and walking the course. Gaining my strength back through all of the physical therapy and strength training was huge for me. Every day I’d work at it 2-to-3 hours a day on weight training, physical therapy and stretching on top of practicing so that I could hit the ball like I did before the injury.”

Not a chance, Jim Schneider thought originally. “I knew he’d find a way to play golf again someday, but to get back to competitive golf in college is just amazing.”

Brad Schneider even amazed himself during his first full round in 2007, not long after coming to ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ for his redshirt freshman season.

“The first time I played 18 holes, I played in a cart at (Rio Pinar) and shot two-under,” he said. “After that, playing more and walking more, I knew I could still do it. And all of my teammates were so supportive of everything that I was doing. I knew then, starting to hit the ball the way that I wanted and getting my strength back, it was very good for me.”

Leaving a legacy at ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½
Schneider isn’t just one of the most inspiring athletes in the history of athletics at ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½; he is also one of the most successful.

As a freshman, he helped ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ win the first of three straight Conference USA titles. And he saved his best golf for the NCAA Regional when he fired a final round 62 and finished with a three-day total of 13-under 200 that vaulted the Knights into the NCAA Championships.

Remarkable stuff considering that Schneider had to walk 18, and sometimes 36 holes, a day on legs still trying to recover from “the accident” and the surgeries that followed. And in college golf there are no caddies, so forays up the fairways are done with the loop of the golf bag thrown over his shoulder.

C-USA titles followed in 2010 and 2011, as Schneider emerged as ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½’s best golfer. And this past season was his finest as a Knight as he took medalist honors at the Northern Intercollegiate, shot 13 rounds at par-or-better and finished in the top five of events five times. Accomplishing so much while also overcoming such great odds helped him with the David Toms Award.

“I can’t really sum it up without getting emotional. Seeing all of the work that Brad did, I called him the other day and told him that he really deserved it all,” said Jim, who is a fixture at all of Brad’s tournaments. “To handle it the way that he did, he’s always been an inspiration to a lot of people around him. There are still times when I look at him out there and my stomach still gets in knots and my heart drops because of all that he went through. I’m the one who sometimes wonders, `Why him?’ But with Brad, I’ve never seen him like that. I’m just amazed at how he’s been able to handle it all.”

Starting on Thursday, Schneider will step to the tee box in a NCAA Regional for the fourth straight year. ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ is one of 13 squads that will compete in the Stanford Regional in California. Coach team, which won three tournament titles and once rose to as high as No. 6 in the national rankings, will be looking to finish in the top five to advance to the NCAA Championship (May 29-June 3 in Pacific Palisades, Calif.).

Regardless of what happens later this week, Brad feels like he’s already won. He’s back doing what he loves and back hitting the ball 270 yards in the air and 290 yards with the roll.

Shocking stuff, indeed, for someone barely 150 pounds. And even more shocking when playing partners hear stories of all that Brad has had to overcome. They see signs of it in his limp down the fairway, but not in a picture-perfect golf swing that doesn’t seem a bit bothered by all of the trauma suffered five years ago.

“Actually, my legs are as good now as they were in junior golf,” Brad said with a snicker, still somewhat amazed himself. “Walking 18 holes and walking 36 holes, I can do it and it’s not a problem at all. There are certain pains that come up on certain days, but they are something that everyone has. I knew I had to get better physically to play good golf. I did it and I’m able to do something I love again.”

With a score of 861 (-3) for the tournament, the Knights finished two strokes behind first-place Memphis. ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ got off to a slow start at the event, and was in fourth after the opening round. The team recovered to post an impressive finish at the championship.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the guys,” ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ head coach Bryce Wallor said. “They never give up. All season long, we have played great final rounds. We are playing well enough to win tournaments, but it just hasn’t happened the last few weeks.”

Eason posted a 70 (-2) on the final 18 to finish at 8-under 208. Memphis’ Jack Belote and SMU’s Max Buckley finished one-stroke behind Eason. Like the previous two rounds, Eason capitalized on the back nine with a 32 (-4). His score was aided by an eagle on the 12th hole. Eason has experienced great success in both appearances at the C-USA Championship, as he finished in second last year.

“Greg played some fantastic golf. I credit him for really working on his mental game. He had some slow starts, but made so many birdies on the last four holes all three rounds,” Wallor said.

“I did seem to play better on the back nine,” Eason said. “I managed to keep going. It was nice to have patience on the course. It was something that I was lacking a bit in the past, but it was nice to see that.”

Sophomores Ricardo Gouveia and Kyle Wilshire finished near the top of the leaderboard. Gouveia’s 215 (-1) allowed him finish eighth. Wilshire’s consistent play enabled him to finish ninth. Dating back to last year’s tournament, Wilshire has shot a 72 (E) in five-consecutive rounds.

Senior Brad Schneider shot a 73 (+1) on the day. He benefitted from posting four-consecutive birdies, a streak that started on the ninth hole.

With a 73 (+1) on the day, Jose Joia tallied his best round of the C-USA Championship.

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ began Tuesday three shots behind Memphis and carded a 287 (-1) during the final round.

The Knights will be hoping for an at-large bid to the NCAA Regionals. Regional play begins May 17 and the field will be announced in early May.

Conference USA Championship – Tuesday Final Round – Par 72

Team Leaderboard

1) Memphis -5 (282-289-288–859)

2) ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ -3 (290-284-287–861)

3) East Carolina +5 (295-287-287–869)

T4) UAB +9 (292-291-290–873)

T4) SMU +9 (284-300-289–874)

Individual Leaderboard

1) Greg Eason (ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½) -8 (70-68-70–208)

T2) Jack Belote (Houston) -7 (68-71-70–209)

T2) Max Buckley (SMU) -7 (68-72-69–209)

3) Martin Simonsen (UTEP) -4 (72-67-73–212)

T5) Jonathan Fly (Memphis) -2 (69-73-72–214)

T5) Bosten Miller (Marshall) -2 (72-71-71–214)

T5) Roman Robledo (Houston) -2 (70-68-76–214)

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½’s Golfers

1) Greg Eason -8 (70-68-70–208)

8) Ricardo Gouveia -1 (72-71-72–215)

9) Kyle Wilshire E (72-72-72–216)

T24) Brad Schneider +6 (76-73-73–222)

T27) Jose Joia +7 (76-74-73–223)

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ was led by sophomore Ricardo Gouveia (Almancil, Portugal), who took medalist honors in only his second event as a Knight.

The Knights, who are ranked 25th nationally according to Golfweek, posted a 13-under 275 on the final 18 holes to post the victory. Georgia, the nation’s 16th-ranked team, finished second, nine shots behind ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ at 851 (-9). The Knights entered the final round in second, just three shots behind Georgia. Three Knights finished in the top-10 individually.

“For two tournaments in a row now we have received contributions across the board,” ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ head coach Bryce Wallor said. “Every week is its own test. You bring your best team out and see how you stack up against some of the premier teams in the country. Every day, somebody on our team is doing something special out on the golf course. I am excited with the way that we have started the season and hopefully we will continue to progress.”

Gouveia, a transfer from Lynn, carded a 6-under 66 Tuesday to conclude the tournament at 204 (-11). Senior Brad Schneider (Valrico, Fla.), who posted a 68 (-4) during the final round, placed third.

“Ricardo and Brad rolled in here and played great for 54 holes. They were both in contention after the first day. They played fantastic golf again today. Ricardo came out on top of the field, and I couldn’t be happier for him. He is a great addition to our program, and he has been working hard along with everybody else on the team.”

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ sophomore Jose Joia (Lagoa, Portugal) tied for eighth at 215 (E). On the final 18, he registered a 5-under 67. Junior Reid Martin (Mukilteo, Wash.) tied for 23rd at 5-under 220. Sophomore Kyle Wilshire (Lexington, Ky.) tied for 32nd (221, +6).

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ also claimed the title at the Adams Cup of Newport a year ago. Martin placed fourth individually, and Schneider tied for 21st in 2010.

Georgia posted a 1-under 287 Tuesday. Yale finished third, followed by Texas Tech. Rhode Island hosted the event and finished 12th.

The tournament was a homecoming for Wallor. An Ocean State native, Wallor was a member of Rhode Island’s men’s golf team from 1993-98. He served as an assistant coach for the Rams in 2002-03.

The tournament was the second of the fall for the Knights. ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ began the season by taking the title at the Northern Intercollegiate in Illinois on Sept. 11. Schneider took medalist honors at the event.

The Knights will return to action on Oct. 9 at the Prestige at PGA West in La Quinta, Calif.

Team Leaders

1. ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ 288-279-275=842 (-18)
2. Georgia 289-275-287=851 (-9)
3. Yale 293-286-281=860 (E)
4. Texas Tech 292-287-285=864 (+4)

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Golfers

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ is ranked 25th nationally in the Golfweek preseason poll, and finished play at 870 (+18), 10 shots ahead of second-place Tulsa (880, +28). Schneider was joined in the top-10 individually by sophomores Jose Joia (Lagoa, Portugal) and Ricardo Gouveia (Almancil, Portugal), who were both making their ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ debuts at the event.

“This was a great team effort,” ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ head coach Bryce Wallor said. “It was a long couple of days, but collectively everybody did a great job. It was a total-team effort.”

Schneider carded a 2-over 73 Sunday and finished the tournament at 212 (-1) to tie for first with Ball State’s Tyler Merkel. The individual title is the first of Schneider’s collegiate career. The senior has helped ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ to great success during his time in Orlando, highlighted by three Conference USA Championship titles.

“I am so excited for Brad,” Wallor said. “He is an absolute role model as a student-athlete. He is a great leader who works so hard. We are all very happy for him.”

Joia tied for sixth at 216 (+3). Gouveia, his former teammate at Lynn, was two shots back at 5-over 218. Making his collegiate debut, freshman McCabe Buege (Rogers, Minn.) contributed to the victory by tying for 44th (230, +17). Sophomore Greg Eason (Leicester City, England), the 2010-11 C-USA Freshman of the Year, competed in Illinois but was forced to withdraw due to injury.

After fog delayed the start of play yesterday, the teams concluded the second round Sunday morning before moving to the final 18 holes. The Knights were in first following the first round.

Indiana finished third at 36-over 888. Ball State and Virginia Tech tied for fourth at 889 (+37). No. 7 Illinois tied for sixth. The Knights posted a 295 (+11) on the final 18.

The event was the first of four fall tournaments for ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½. The victory was the sixth for the Knights since Wallor took the helm of the program prior to the 2009-10 campaign.

The Knights will return to action Sept. 19 when play begins at the Adams Cup of Newport in Rhode Island. ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ took the team title at the tournament a year ago, and Eason claimed medalist honors.

Team Leaders

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Golfers

Eason was one of 64 golfers to advance to match play, which will conclude Saturday.

Golfers from 35 countries are participating in the tournament, which is in its 116th year. The winner of the match play portion of the event will receive a spot in this year’s British Open Championship, as well as an invitation to the 2012 Masters. The event includes some of the top-ranked amateurs in the world.

Eason recently completed an outstanding rookie season at ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½, where he helped head coach Bryce Wallor’s squad claim its third-straight Conference USA Championship title and earn a spot in the NCAA Regionals for the fifth-consecutive year.

A C-USA All-Freshman Team selection, Eason played in all 11 of ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½’s events, and posted seven top-10 finishes. He placed second at the C-USA Championship, and early in the year, took medalist honors at the Adams Cup of Newport.