The Asbury Men’s golf team is preparing for their third appearance in the National Christian College Athletic Association National Championship.
The men officially concluded their regular season schedule after competing in the Stateline Shootout on Oct. 1. The men placed 5th out of eight teams with a total score of +56, just one stroke behind Spaulding.
Standout performances came from Asbury freshman Nicolas Ortiz, who led Asbury’s second team at 12 over, and freshman Gideon Coleman, who was 13 over for the weekend.
Leading the Eagles was sophomore João Costa, who made a comeback from his 78 start to finish with a 70, six over for the tournament. His eight-stroke drop landed him in third place at the Stateline Shootout, which was his third top-five finish this season.
“The first was one of the most challenging rounds I have had in a while. I had a few holes on the front nine that completely destroyed my scorecard, but fortunately, I was able to get back up and finish with a decent score on the back nine,” Costa said. “On the second day, I was able to play a completely different golf than I played on the first day. I was way more confident, and my golf felt much better.
Throughout the season, Costa has led the Eagles and continued to place well throughout the tournaments. He placed second overall in the NCCAA Mideast Regionals, he shot 8-under-par to get 2nd place in The Players Club Invitational out of 104 competitors, and his only non-top-five round was the UPike Fall Invitational, where he placed 6th overall.
“This season started really well for me, and it has given me a lot of confidence for the next tournaments and seasons to come,” Costa said.
This season marks a change from last year, where he placed well in tournaments like third in the Berea College Invite, 23rd in the the NCCAA National Tournament and won his first tournament at the Spaulding Invite, but fell short of his goals.
“My first season was a big challenge since it was my first year here in the US. I feel more confident this year since I already know what to expect,” Costa said. “My summer was also a great season, if not my best ever, giving me great confidence for this semester.”
Costa and the men are now working to get ready for their next and last tournament of the season, Nationals.
“From now until Nationals, the team will give its everything so that we arrive in Florida in our best shape,” Costa said.
The men will head back to Palm Beach, Flordia, to play at the Hammock Beach Resort.
Throughout Oct. 23-25, the men will play in a 54-hole stroke-play event with the best 4-of-5 scores counted daily.
They competed on the same course two years ago when they won the National Championship for Asbury’s first-ever NCCAA title.
In both of Asbury’s appearances in the National Championship, junior Garrett Sturges has been a part of the All-American team with top-ten finishes.
Sturges has seen success throughout the season with an eighth-place finish at the UPike Invitational and third place at Regionals.
This year, Costa hopes to join Sturges with an All-American title under his belt.
“I have been working on getting expectations down and instead focusing on the process to get as close to the end goal as possible,” Costa said. “If we all focus on being patient and accepting the less good shots, we will surely achieve our goals for Nationals.”
The men will travel to Florida today to practice and prepare for their third NCCAA National Championship appearance.