Florida A&M’s golf team began its spring season with a trip to Philadelphia, Miss., in February. FAMU competed against many teams in the six tournaments it played this season. The only tournament left for the Rattlers is the National Minority Championship.
The Rattlers began the season in the Frito-Lay/AT&T Intercollegiate in Philadelphia, Miss. The team made mistakes and fell behind early in the tournament. The team’s score improved as the tournament progressed, but it was not enough. The team finished 12th in the tournament.
FAMU played in the Bethune-Cookman Invitational in Daytona Beach, only four days after returning from Mississippi. The team finished a very close competition in fourth place.
The Rattlers faced tough competition in the following tournament, the Seminole Intercollegiate, at Southwood Golf Club in Tallahassee. The tournament featured some of the top 50 golf teams in the country, including 17th ranked Arkansas. FAMU finished 17th in the tournament.
Florida A&M traveled to Jacksonville Beach, the day after finishing the Seminole Intercollegiate to play in the Don Benbow Inviational. The team was not able to participate in the tournament’s practice round. The team finished eighth in another close tournament.
FAMU returned to Tallahassee to host the FAMU Spring Invitational at Southwood Golf Club. Once again, Florida A&M played in another tournament only a few days after finishing one. The Rattlers finished third in the tournament, but members of the team believed they played better in the Seminole Intercollegiate.
Florida A&M traveled to Savannah, Ga., for the first MEAC Golf Showcase after a three week break. All of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference golf teams except for Maryland-Eastern Shore competed in the tournament. FAMU finished third in the tournament.
One of the major issues for Florida A&M throughout the spring season is consistency. Coach Marvin Green stressed the need for the team to be consistent in an interview after the end of the FAMU Spring Invitational.
There are tournaments that are examples of Florida A&M’s inconsistency this spring. FAMU had the highest score on the first day of the Seminole Intercollegiate. The team’s score improved in the second and third day of the tournament.
Inconsistency was an issue in the Frito-Lay/AT&T Intercollegiate as well. The team’s score decreased by 15 between the first day and second day of the tournament.
The final tournament of the season for FAMU is the PGA National Minority Championship. The tournament will be held at the PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie. Teams from various HBCU’s and other colleges with a majority minority population will compete in the tournament. FAMU finished eighth in the tournament last year.
The PGA Minority Championship begins May 6 and continues through May 8.