PETERSBURG, Va. – It did not take long for the Saint Leo men's golf program to find its way to the top of a leader board as the Lions opened the 2023-24 season with a victory at their own Griffin Invitational which they hosted in Petersburg, Va. The Lions were led by Jake Nash who took home the medalist honors winning the Invitational, after shooting a eleven-under par 205 over 54-holes.
 
The win at the sixth annual Griffin Invitational is the third for the Saint Leo program since the Lions began hosting the event while Nash secures the medalist honor for the second time in 3 years.
 
Coach Chris Greenwood spoke after the tournament stating "It's always nice to get a win. It's special to win the Griffin Invitational".
 
He also spoke about Nash's performance "I am so proud of Jake and how well he played. He's the original Griffin Scholarship recipient and now the two-time champion of the Griffin. That's just awesome".  
 
The Green and Gold captured the team title by strokes after finishing the three-round event with a 14-over par 850 to outlast Coker University who finished (-3). Golden Beacom (+10), Mount Olive (+12), and Belmont Abbey (+15), rounded out the field.
 
Nash, who entered the final round in the lead, shot his best round of the tournament eight-under over the final 18 holes to hold off Jonathan Hallinger of Coker who entered the day five-strokes back.
 
Three other Lions earned a top six finish to round out the top 10. The lions had five out of the 10 spots occupied. Enzo Barbaglia had a great last round placing third carding a (-4, 212), followed up by Alex Heck in fifth (-1, 215) and Carl Gustin in fifth rounding out the top five (E, 216) for the Green and Gold.
 
Rounding out the top 10 for the Lions Adrian Soriano and Mathieu Lafontaine (+1, 217) who finished tied for 10^th. Kyle Freudeman found himself tied for 26^th having a solid showing with a (+4, 220).
 
 
Brett White carded a (+9, 225) and placed tied for 45^th and Nicklas Illi made up some ground placing tied for 67^th shooting (+14, 158) to finish off the first tournament of the season.
 
1st - Saint Leo - 286-284-280 - 850 (-14)


1 –  Jake Nash - 67-70-68 - 205 (-11)
3 – Enro Barbaglia - 74-68-70 - 212 (-4)
5 –  Alex Heck  - 72-73-70 - 215 (-1)
T6 - Carl Gustin - 73-74-69 - 216 (E)
T10 - Adrian Soriano - 71-72-74 - 217 (+1)
T10 –  Mathieu Lafontaine - 74-67-76 - 217 (+1)
T26 – Kyle Freudeman - 74-74-71 220 (+4)
T45 – Brett White - 80-75-70 - 225 (+9)
T67 – Nicklas Illi - 80-78-73 - 231 (+15)

Up Next:
 
The Lions will be back in action Monday, Oct. 2 as the Green and Gold begin competition at the Shark Invitational hosted by Nova Southeastern in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

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.