SAINT LEO, Fla. – Strong start for the Green and Gold as No. 17 Saint Leo men's golf concluded its first tournament of the season in second place, just five-strokes off the winner Lynn, where Oliver Lilliedahl made a push to the top spot and finished in second just four-strokes off the lead at Lake Jovita Golf and Country Club.
 
On the par-72 7,153-yard South Course, Lilliedahl carded a tournament low 64 in round two before closing out the tournament with a 70 (-2) for a tournament score of 205 (-11).
 
Two other golfers went under-par for the tournament and registered top-15 finishes with Jake Nash taking a top-10 finish with a six-under 210, for seventh place. Colin Kresl carded a four-under 212 for a 13^th place finish in his first tournament with the Green and Gold.
 
The 26-under team score tied the programs low 54-hole score, which the Lions accomplished at the 2016 national championship. The Lions finished Tuesday's final round with a seven-under 281.
 
Saint Leo and Lynn started the day off tied and on opposite sides of the course, where it was a fight to take the lead. The Fighting Knights broke through and claimed a nine-stroke lead with nine holes to go but the Lions closed the gap, cutting it to just four strokes with five holes remaining. Lynn was able to hold the lead and claim the title.
 
The team title was the first win at the Saint Leo Invitational for Lynn, with a tournament record 833 (-31), breaking previous record of 28-under by Barry in 2015. The Fighting Knights' Agustin Errazuriz claimed medalist honors holding off Lilliedahl with a 54-hole score of 201 (-15), which tied Mateo Gomez (Lynn, 2015) and Juan Jose Guerra (Nova Southeastern, 2018) for the tournament low-54-hole score. The individual and team title was the third time in the seven tournaments that the same program claimed each title.
 
Saint Leo Scores
2 – Saint Leo, 284-273-281, 838 (-26)
2 – Oliver Lilliedahl, 71-64-70, 205 (-11)
T7 – Jake Nash, 72-67-71, 210 (-6)
T13 – Colin Kresl, 73-71-68, 212 (-4)
T34 – Dave Longhini, 69-71-76, 216 (E)
T50 – Adrian Soriano, 72-76-72, 220 (+4)
⁺T43 – Francois Cilliers, 74-72-73, 219 (+3)
⁺T43 – Alberto Castagnara, 70-75-74, 219 (+3)
⁺T56 – Conner Paine, 74-71-76, 221 (+5)
⁺T89 – Shane Reynolds, 83-74-72, 229 (+13)
⁺ -Playing as an Individual

Up Next
The Lions take a week off to prepare for the next tournament, the Matlock Invitational March 8-9 at Lone Palm Golf and Country Club in Lakeland, Fla., hosted by Florida Southern.  

For the latest news, updates, and information on the Saint Leo men's golf program be sure to visit SaintLeoLions.com. Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest Lions news by following Saint Leo Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.