2009 Men's Golf - Year In Review

2009 Men's Golf - Year In Review

Coaching Staff
Trey Jones, Head Coach
Chris Malloy, Assistant Coach

Click here for team picture

Click here to see individual mug shots
2008-09 Men's Golf


2009 Florida State Signees/Newcomers

Wesley Graham, 6-0, Port Orange

Brooks Koepka, 5-10, Wellington


2009 Roster - By Name

L
T                                  PY
R Name                  Hgt   Cl   Ltr  Hometown (Prior School)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  James Byrd            6-1   So        Windermere (Olympia)
* Wesley Graham         6-0   Fr        Port Orange (Spruce Creek)
* Drew Kittleson        5-11  So   *    Scottsdale, Ariz. (Pinnacle)
* Cameron Knight        5-9   Jr   **   Dade City (Wesley Chapel)
* Brooks Koepka         5-10  Fr        Wellington (Cardinal Newman)
* Seath Lauer           6-4   Jr   **   Huntington, Ind. (Huntington North)
* Matt Savage           5-10  Sr   ***  Louisville, Ky. (Saint Xavier)
* Nicholas Smith        6-0   Sr   **   Ocala (Belleview)

2009 Conference Awards

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Drew Kittleson           Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference

Brooks Koepka            Atlantic Coast Conference - Freshman of the Year

Matt Savage              Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference

All-Conference -  3

2009 Schedule and Results

DATE
POST
GAME
BOX
SCORE
LOC
OPPONENT
SCORE
09/21
Postgame
Box
N
Fighting Illini Invitational
September 19-21, 2008, Olympia Fields, Ill.
7th Place
09/30
Postgame
Box
N
Ping/Golfweek Preview
September 28-30, 2008, Toledo, Ohio
10th Place
10/13
Postgame
Box
N
Brickyard Collegiate
October 11-13, 2008, Macon, Ga.
4th Place
02/06
Postgame
Box
N
Hawaii-Hilo Invitational
February 4-6, 2009, Kohala, Hawaii
10th Place
02/15
Postgame
Box
N
Gator Invitational
February 14-15, 2009, Gainesville, Fla.
4th Place
03/08
Postgame
Box
H
Seminole Intercollegiate
March 6-8, 2009
3rd Place
03/13
Postgame
Box
H
FSU Spring Break Invitational
March 12-13, 2009
1st Place
03/22
Postgame
Box
N
Callaway Collegiate Medal Play
Rancho Sante Fe, Calif.
3rd Place
03/23
Postgame
Box
N
Texas Tech
Callaway Match Play, Rancho Sante Fe, Calif.
W 3.5-1.5
03/24
Postgame
Box
N
Middle Tennessee St
Callaway Match Play, Rancho Sante Fe, Calif.
L 1-4
03/24
Postgame
Box
N
UCLA
Callaway Match Play, Rancho Sante Fe, Calif.
T 2.5-2.5
04/07
Postgame
Box
N
US Collegiate Championship
April 5-7, 2009, Alpharetta, Ga.
15th Place
04/12
Postgame
Box
N
The Masters
April 9-12, 2009, Augusta, Ga.
 
04/19
Postgame
Box
N
ACC Championship
April 17-19, 2009, New London, N.C.
10th Place
05/16
Postgame
Box
N
NCAA Southeast Regional
May 14-16, 2009, Sorrento, Fla.
7th Place
EOY Stats Ref

                Overall   Home    Away   Neutral
------------------------------------------------
FSU record is    1- 1-1   0- 0     0- 0     1- 1-1


2009 Atlantic Coast Conference Results
 1  Georgia Tech          846
 2  Clemson               849
 3  Duke                  861
 4t Wake Forest           865
 4t North Carolina State  865
 6  Maryland              866
 7t North Carolina        868
 7t Virginia Tech         868
 9  Virginia              869
10  Florida State         875
11  Boston College        913

2009 EOY Stats

Name Tournaments Rounds Par Low Strokes Wins Top10 Ave ======================================================================== Drew Kittleson 11 30 12 66 2,177 0 3 72.57 Brooks Koepka 11 31 13 65 2,255 0 4 72.74 Matt Savage 11 31 13 63 2,256 1 3 72.77 Cameron Knight 9 25 9 69 1,847 0 2 73.88 Seath Lauer 10 28 5 70 2,092 0 0 74.71 Nicholas Smith 3 8 2 68 605 0 1 75.63 Wesley Graham 5 14 2 68 1,079 0 1 77.07

Fighting Illini Invitational, 7th place
09/21/2008, September 19-21, 2008, Olympia Fields, Ill.

From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.

Kittleson And Savage Lead Seminoles At Olympia Fields Invitational.

Seminoles finish in seventh place in team standings at season-opening event.

OLYMPIA FIELDS, IL - Florida State University sophomore Drew Kittleson and senior All-American Matt Savage finished in a tie for 11th in the individual standings to lead the Seminole men's golf team to a seventh place finish in the team standings at the Olympia Fields Invitational at the Olympia Fields Country Club. The Seminoles carded their best team round of the three round event as they carded four scores of 74 or better for the second consecutive day as Savage tied for the best score of the third round with three-under par score of 67.

Florida State improved its team standing in both the second and third rounds as the Seminoles improved individually over the final 36 holes. The Seminoles were in 13th place after the first round, in 10th place after the second round and finished seventh in the final standings.

Illinois, the host school, won the team championship with an 11-stoke victory over Indiana. Illinois was tied for first after the first round, in second after the second round and won the championship by posting a tournament-best 279 team score in the final round. Zach Barlow of Illinois and Alex Martin of Indiana shared medalist honors with one-under par scores of 209.

Savage (Louisville, Ky.) led Florida State in the final round with a three-under par score of 67. He carded five birdies and was under par on his final 11 holes of the event. Savage closed his round with two birdies over his final four holes to finish at three-under par. It was Savage's 14th top-15 finish in his 34-event career as a Seminole.

Kittleson (Scottsdale, Az.), who will play in the 2009 Master's and U.S. Opens after finishing as the runner-up at the 2008 US Amateur, finished with a three-over par score of 73 and a total of 214. His tied for 11th place finish marked the fourth top-15 finish of his Seminole career. Kittleson began the event as he carded an even par score of 70.

Freshman Brooks Koepka (Wellington, Fla.) played his best round of the tournament over the final 18 holes as he finished with a three-over par score of 73. He finished his final two rounds at five over par with scores of 72 and 73 after finishing at 10-over par in the first round of the tournament. Koepka finished in a tie for 45th place while playing in the first event of his collegiate career.

Senior Nicholas Smith (Ocala, Fla.) carded his second consecutive round of 74 and finished with a three-round total of 230. He was a total of eight over par in the second and third rounds after finishing with a 12-over par score of 82 in the first round. Junior Seath Lauer (Huntington, Ind.) carded a second round score of 72 and finished in a tie for 58th place with a 28 total for the 54-hole event.

The Seminoles continue their fall schedule at the PING / GolfWeek Preview in Toledo, Ohio Sept. 28-30.

                                                                                                                                                                                                   
Olympia Fields Invitational/Olympia Fields, Ill./Par 70                                                                                                                                                 
Olympia Fields Country Club/Sept. 19-21, 2009/Final Results                                                                                                                                             
1.   Illinois        852   9.    UCF            878                                                                                                                                                     
2.   Indiana         863   10.   Penn State     880                                                                                                                                                     
3.   Oklahoma State  864   11.   Vanderbilt     882                                                                                                                                                     
4.   Stanford        867   12.   UCLA           886                                                                                                                                                     
5.   Texas           871   13.   Northwestern   891                                                                                                                                                     
6.   Arizona State   872   14.   Purdue         892                                                                                                                                                     
7.   Florida State   876   15.   SMU            909                                                                                                                                                     
8.   Duke            877                                                                                                                                                                                
Name                       Place  Rnd1  Rnd2  Rnd3  Total
=========================  =====  ====  ====  ====  =====
Matt Savage                 11t    73    74    67    214
Drew Kittleson              11t    70    71    73    214
Brooks Koepka               45t    80    72    73    225
Seath Lauer                 58t    77    72    79    228
Nicholas Smith              66     82    74    74    230

Ping/Golfweek Preview, 10th place
09/30/2008, September 28-30, 2008, Toledo, Ohio

From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.

Seminoles Finish In 10th Place At PING/GolfWeek Preview.

Savage leads Florida State with Top 25 individual finish.

TOLEDO, OH - Senior Matt Savage finished in a tie for 21st place in the individual standings to lead the Florida State University men's golf team to a 10th place finish at the PING/GolfWeek Invitational at the Inverness Club. Savage led the Seminoles with his 22nd career top-25 finish as he carded a five-over par 218 total for the 54-hole event.

In addition to Savage's score of 75, the Seminoles also counted the scores of sophomore Drew Kittleson (72), junior Seath Lauer (73) and freshman Brooks Koepka (75) as they finished with a team total of 295 on the final day.

Oklahoma State led the event wire-to-wire and earned a 16-stroke victory over runner-up Tennessee. The Cowboys had three players finish in the top five of the individual standings including the co-medalist Morgan Hoffmann. Hoffmann finished in a tie for first in the individual standings with Robin Wingardh of Tennessee. Both golfers finished with six-under par scores of 207.

Kittleson (Scottsdale, Ariz.) led the Seminoles in the final round with a one-over par score of 72. He played his final two rounds of the event at three over par after playing the first round at six over par. Kittleson finished his first nine holes of the afternoon at even par and was one over par on his back nine. Included in his 15 holes at par or better during the round were three birdies.

Lauer (Huntington, Ind.) played his best round of the tournament in the final round as he carded a two-over par score of 73. He was two over in the final round after completing his first two rounds and a combined nine strokes over par. Lauer finished the third round well with a four-under par score over his final eight holes as he carded three birdies and an eagle two on the par five eighth hole.

Savage (Louisville, Ky.) and Koepka (Wellington, Fla.) carded identical scores of 75 in the final round. It marked the first time in six rounds this fall that Savage had carded a round above 74 while Koepka was a total of four over par in his final two rounds of the event. Graham (Port Orange, Fla.) recorded three scores of 76 and finished with a total of 228.

The Seminoles will play their final event of the fall season as they travel to play at the Brickyard Collegiate in Macon, Ga., Oct. 11-13.

                                                                                                                                                                                                   
PING / GolfWeek Preview/Sept. 28-30, 2008/Par 71                                                                                                                                                        
The Inverness Club/Toledo, Ohio/Final Team Results                                                                                                                                                      
1.   Oklahoma St     843   9.    Florida         879                                                                                                                                                    
2.   Tennessee       859   10.   Florida State   886                                                                                                                                                    
3.   Georgia         861   11.   Chattanooga     893                                                                                                                                                    
4.   Southern Cal.   867   12.   Charlotte       894                                                                                                                                                    
5.   Alabama         868   13.   Texas A&M       895                                                                                                                                                    
6.   Arizona State   870   14.   Kent State      897                                                                                                                                                    
T7.  Clemson         874   15.   Toledo          923                                                                                                                                                    
T7.  Georgia Tech    874                                                                                                                                                                                
Name                       Place  Rnd1  Rnd2  Rnd3  Total
=========================  =====  ====  ====  ====  =====
Matt Savage                 21t    72    71    75    218
Drew Kittleson              34t    77    73    72    222
Brooks Koepka               38t    76    72    75    223
Seath Lauer                 42t    75    76    73    224
Wesley Graham               52t    76    76    76    228

Brickyard Collegiate, 4th place
10/13/2008, October 11-13, 2008, Macon, Ga.

From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.

Knight Leads Seminoles To Fourth Place Finish At Brickyard Collegiate Classic.

Junior records best finish of career to lead Seminoles to fourth place finish.

MACON, GA - Seminole junior Cameron Knight finished in a career-best tied for third place in the individual standings and the Florida State men's golf team finished in fourth place in the team standings as play in the Second Annual Brickyard Collegiate Championship at the Brickyard Golf Course came to a close. Knight carded back-to-back scores of 69 in the second and third rounds of the event to move from a tie for 57th place in the individual standings after shooting a 77 in the first round to his final standing of tied for third after playing the final 36 holes of the tournament at two under par.

Knight (Wesley Chapel, Fla.) earned the best finish in his career, came within two strokes of tying the best single single-round score of his career and earned the best tournament score of his career (215) in finished as the Seminoles' top finisher for the second time in his career.

In addition to Knight's score of 69, the Seminoles also counted the scores of 72 by Matt Savage and Drew Kittleson and a 73 by Brooks Koepka. Florida State finished with a 286 team score - its best of the tournament and the second best on the final day of the 15 teams competing in the event. Florida State moved from a tie for 10th place after one round into seventh place after two rounds to its final standing of fourth place.

Georgia won the event as they posted a five-stroke victory over Georgia Tech. The Bulldogs carded a third-round best team score of 282 and finished with three players in the top-10 of the individual standings. Georgia Tech's Cameron Tringale finished first in the individual standings with a one-over par total of 211. Tringale defeated Virginia Tech's Drew Weaver by one stroke.

Knight proved to be the most consistent of the five Seminoles in the event over the course of the final two rounds. In carding consecutive scores of 69, he was never more than two strokes over par and carded only five bogeys - only three on his final 27 holes of the tournament. Knight was three under par over his final 10 holes of the final round to bring his score under par for the second straight round. It marked the second time in his Florida State career that he carded consecutive under par rounds.

Sophomore Drew Kittleson (Scottsdale, Ariz.) finished well with a two-over par 72 in the final round and finished in a tie for 21st place in the individual standings. He finished with three scores at 74 or better for the second time in three events this fall. Kittleson finished with eight of his nine scores at 74 or below this fall.

Senior All-American Matt Savage (Louisville, Ky.) also finished with a score of 72 in the final round and a 219 total for the 54-hole event. He finished in a tie for 46th place. Savage was a total of six strokes over par during the final 36 holes of the event after finishing the first round with a nine-over par 79.

Junior Seath Lauer (Huntington, Ind.) finished in a tie for 21st place as he finished play with a score of 75 in the final round. The Seminoles' leader during the first and second rounds of the event, he finished with a three-round total of 219. Freshman Brooks Koepka, the only Seminole freshman to play in all three of the team's fall events, finished in a tie for 54th place with a 73 in the final round and a 227 total for the event.

The Seminoles will open the spring season at the Hawaii-Hilo Invitational at the Mauni Lai Resort Feb. 4-6, 2009.

                                                                                                                                                                                                   
Second Annual Brickyard Collegiate Championship/Par 70                                                                                                                                                  
The Brickyard Golf Course/Macon, Ga./Oct. 11-13, 2008/Final Team Results                                                                                                                                
1.   Georgia         859  9.   Charlotte     882                                                                                                                                                        
2.   Georgia Tech    864  10.  Wake Forest   883                                                                                                                                                        
3.   Clemson         866  11.  Chattanooga   886                                                                                                                                                        
4.   Florida State   873  12.  Hartford      898                                                                                                                                                        
5.   Virginia Tech   875  13.  Mercer        899                                                                                                                                                        
6.   Penn State      877  14.  Oregon        902                                                                                                                                                        
7.   Duke            878  15.  Kennesaw St.  905                                                                                                                                                        
8.   Augusta State   881                                                                                                                                                                                
Name                       Place  Rnd1  Rnd2  Rnd3  Total
=========================  =====  ====  ====  ====  =====
Cameron Knight               3t    77    69    69    215
Drew Kittleson              21t    73    74    72    219
Seath Lauer                 21t    73    71    75    219
Matt Savage                 46t    79    74    72    225
Brooks Koepka               54t    76    78    73    227

Hawaii-Hilo Invitational, 10th place
02/06/2009, February 4-6, 2009, Kohala, Hawaii

From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.

Seminole Men's Golf Team Completes Play At Vulcan Intercollegiate.

All-American Savage leads Seminoles in final round with 68.

KOHALA COAST, HI - Senior All-American Matt Savage led Florida State with a four-under par 68 and the Seminole men's golf team posted the fourth best team score of the final day of play to finish in a tie for 10th place at the spring-season opening University of Hawaii-Hilo Vulcan Invitational at the Mauna Lani Resort.

No. 2 ranked Southern California earned the tournament championship as the Trojans outdistanced Washington by 11 strokes. The Trojans took the lead from the Huskies during the second round and held on to win the championship. Florida State finished in a tie for 10th place - one place behind Georgia Tech who was the only other ACC team participating in the event.

Savage finished the tournament with a personal tournament-best four-under par 68 and in a tie for 65th place in the final individual standings. He played his best golf of the three-round tournament in the final round after carding uncharacteristic scores of 81 in the first and second rounds. Savage's 68 in the final round allowed him to improve his individual placing by 31 positions after his first and second round scores.

Sophomore Drew Kittleson led Florida State as he finished in a tie for 15th place in the individual standings. He carded a career-best six-under par 66 in the second round and an even par 72 in the final round after finishing with an eight-over par 80 in the opening round. He was a total of six-under par over the final 36 holes after finishing at eight over par after the first 18 holes.

Freshman Brooks Koepka carded a three-under par 69 in the final round and finished in a tie for 43rd place with a three-round total of 224. He was three under par over the final 18 holes after finishing 11 over par in the first two rounds. Junior Cameron Knight who carded a one-over par 73 in the first round finished in a tied for 43rd place in the individual standings with a three-day total of 225.

"This was a great event and I believe it will be the beginning of a good spring season," said head coach Trey Jones. "We learned a great deal and look forward to our next tournament in Gainesville. We had four players play a good round this week but we need five players to play 54 holes and we will then start competiting for tournament titles."

Florida State will play its' next event in Gainesville, Fla., at the Gator Invitational Feb. 14-15. Florida State will play host to the Seminole Intercollegiate at Golden Eagle Country Club in Tallahassee March 6-8.

                                                                                                                                                                                                   
19th Annual Hawaii-Hilo Intercollegiate/Mauna Lani Resort                                                                                                                                               
Kohala Coast, Hawaii/Par 72/Feb. 4-6, 2009/Final Team Results                                                                                                                                           
1.   Southern Cal      851   T10.  Florida State      890                                                                                                                                               
2.   Washington        862   T10.  Oklahoma           890                                                                                                                                               
3.   Texas Christian   870   12.   UC Davis           892                                                                                                                                               
4.   Stanford          872   13.   Hawaii-Hilo        910                                                                                                                                               
5.   Oregon            873   14.   Fresno State       923                                                                                                                                               
6.   Colorado          874   15.   Kansas             924                                                                                                                                               
7.   Arizona State     875   16.   San Francisco      928                                                                                                                                               
8.   Texas Tech        879   17.   Hawaii             947                                                                                                                                               
9.   Georgia Tech      879                                                                                                                                                                              
Name                       Place  Rnd1  Rnd2  Rnd3  Total
=========================  =====  ====  ====  ====  =====
Drew Kittleson              15t    80    66    72    218
Brooks Koepka               39t    78    77    69    224
Cameron Knight              43t    73    75    77    225
Matt Savage                 65t    81    81    68    230
Seath Lauer                 80t    80    75    80    235

Gator Invitational, 4th place
02/15/2009, February 14-15, 2009, Gainesville, Fla.

From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.

Kittleson Leads Seminoles To Fourth Place Finish At Gator Golf Invitational.

Sophomore finishes tournament at one under par.

GAINESVILLE, FL - Sophomore Drew Kittleson finished in a tie for ninth place in the individual standings and the Seminole men's golf team finished in fourth place in the team standings as play in the SunTrust Gator Invitational at the Mark Bostic Golf Course at the University of Florida came to a close Sunday. The Seminoles were tied for the best round of the final round of play as they counted four scores of par or better - including Kittleson's two-under par 69 - to jump from eighth place after two rounds to take a fourth place finish in the event.

Florida, ranked 15th in the nation, won the event with an 18-stroke victory as they led the team standings from the start. The Gator's Toby Ragland won a seven-hole playoff with a birdie over teammate Billy Horschel. Simon Ward of UCF was eliminated from the playoff when Ragland and Horschel made birdie on the third hole.

Kittleson finished the event with a one-under par score of 209 as he carded scores of 71-70-68. He was two under par over the final two rounds the event. Kittleson has now finished in the top 15 of the first two events of the spring season.

Freshman Brooks Koepka finished in a tie for 15th place in the individual standings with a one-over par total of 211. He earned scores of 69 and 70 and was one-under par over the final two rounds of the event. Senior All-American Matt Savage rebounded from a tough effort in the Seminoles' first event to finish in a tie for 17th place with a two-over par score of 212. He scored a one-under par 69 in the second round and closed with an even par 70 in the final round.

Junior Cameron Knight was one of two Seminoles' with a below par score in the final round as he carded as one-under par 69 to finish with a 215 total of the 54-hole tournament. Knight was one of four Seminoles to finish within five stokes of par or better.

Florida State will play host to the Seminole Intercollegiate at Golden Eagle Country Club in Tallahassee March 6-8. The Seminoles earned the team championship at the event in 2008.

                                                                                                                                                                                                   
SunTrust Gator Invitational/February 14-15, 2009/Par 70                                                                                                                                                 
Mark Bostic Golf Course/Gainesville, Fla./Final Team Stat Results                                                                                                                                       
1.   Florida            824  8.   Chattanooga         851                                                                                                                                               
2.   Ole Miss           842  9.   North Florida       856                                                                                                                                               
3.   UCF                846  10.  Georgia State       858                                                                                                                                               
4.   Florida State      847  11.  Mississippi State   866                                                                                                                                               
5.   Duke               848  12.  Wake Forest         867                                                                                                                                               
T6.  Coastal Carolina   850  13.  Georgia Southern    872                                                                                                                                               
T6.  Louisiana State    850  14.  UAB                 879                                                                                                                                               
Name                       Place  Rnd1  Rnd2  Rnd3  Total
=========================  =====  ====  ====  ====  =====
Drew Kittleson               9t    71    70    68    209
Brooks Koepka               15t    72    69    70    211
Matt Savage                 17t    73    69    70    212
Cameron Knight              26t    72    74    69    215
Wesley Graham               73     79    75    75    229

Seminole Intercollegiate, 3rd place
03/08/2009, March 6-8, 2009, Tallahassee, Fla.

From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.

Florida State Men's Golf Finishes Third At Seminole Intercollegiate.

The Seminoles finished strong with the low score of the day.

TALLAHASSEE, FL - The Florida State men's golf team finished strong on the final day of play at the Seminole Intercollegiate Tournament at Golden Eagle Golf Course to finish third. The Seminoles tied for the best team score of the day (287) and had three players finish in the top fifteen to conclude the weekend.

Ryan Haselden of Vanderbilt was three under par to post the best individual score of a three under par total of 213. Carlos Sainz of Mississippi State finished the day two under par to finish the event in second place with a two under par score of 214. Three players tied for third to conclude the tournament with a one under par total of 215.

Florida State, the host school for the event, finished the event five strokes behind champion Vanderbilt with a four over par total of 868. The Seminoles were four strokes behind fellow ACC school Virginia. Ole Miss, who was leading coming into the final day, finished round three with an 11 over par to fall into fourth with a five over par total of 869 for the event.

"I am proud we came back with the low round score of the day," head coach Trey Jones said. "We played the last six holes and gave ourselves a chance to come back; we made too many mental mistakes in the first two rounds. We need to build on the good stuff we did today and we are coming closer to put 54 holes together; when we do that we will start winning golf tournaments."

Sophomore Drew Kittleson, who will play in the The Master's tournament in April, tied for sixth place in the individual standings with an even par total of 216. Senior All-American Matt Savage also finished tied for sixth. Tied for 13th was junior Cameron Knight who finished two over par for a total of 218.

Junior Seath Lauer finished the event tied for 22nd with a five over par total of 221. After a rough first two rounds, freshman Brooks Koepka came back to lead the team in the third round with a two under par total of 70.

                                                                                                                                                                                                   
 1 Vanderbilt            290 286 287 863 -1                                                                                                                                                             
 2 Virginia, U. of       289 282 293 864 E                                                                                                                                                              
 3 Florida State         292 289 287 868 +4                                                                                                                                                             
 4 Mississippi, U. of    288 282 299 869 +5                                                                                                                                                             
T5 Mississippi St. U.    292 292 292 876 +12                                                                                                                                                            
T5 Arkansas, U. of       296 287 293 876 +12                                                                                                                                                            
 7 Mercer University     293 294 292 879 +15                                                                                                                                                            
 8 Auburn                297 301 287 885 +21                                                                                                                                                            
T9 Western Carolina U.   304 295 299 898 +34                                                                                                                                                            
T9 UAB                   296 294 308 898 +34                                                                                                                                                            
11 Maryland, U. of       308 302 297 907 +43                                                                                                                                                            
12 Charleston, Coll. of  310 301 307 918 +54                                                                                                                                                            
Name                       Place  Rnd1  Rnd2  Rnd3  Total
=========================  =====  ====  ====  ====  =====
Drew Kittleson               6t    69    74    73    216
Matt Savage                  6t    73    71    72    216
Cameron Knight              15t    75    71    72    218
Seath Lauer                 26t    75    73    73    221
Brooks Koepka               51t    76    78    70    224
Nicholas Smith              58t    82    78    75    235
Wesley Graham               60     80    84    74    238

FSU Spring Break Invitational, 1st place
03/13/2009, March 12-13, 2009, Tallahassee, Fla.

From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.

FSU Men's Golf Team Wins 2009 Florida State Spring Break Invitational.

As a team, the Seminoles use a fantastic final round to claim the victory while All-American Matt Savage posts the top individual score.

TALLAHASEE, FL - The FSU men's golf team parlayed two strong rounds at the Seminole Golf Course to win the 2009 Florida State Spring Break Invitational.

The Seminoles finished the event with an overall team-score of 26 under par (550) while Troy University came in second place after shooting a 12 under par final score of 564.

For Florida State, the second round of the event proved to be the one that sealed the victory. The Seminoles shot a staggering 20 under par for the day as All-American Matt Savage led the way with a nine under par 63 - the top score for all golfers. Florida State's Brooks Koepka's seven under par 65 was second-best.

Savage's 12 under par 132 was the event's best individual score. Koepka's 11 under par 133 was good enough for second and FSU's Wesley Graham, who played as an individual, posted the third-best score of seven under par 137.

Also playing as an individual, FSU's Nicholas Smith finished in fifth place with a four under par score of 140.

Cameron Knight tied for 10th with a two under par overall score, Seath Lauer came in 12th with a one under par outing, and Drew Kittleson's even par score of 144 was good enough for a tie for 13th place.

The Seminoles' next event will take them cross country as they will participate in the Calloway Collegiate Match Play Championship in San Diego, Calif.

The three-day event begins March 22.

                                                                                                                                                                                                   
1 Florida State Univ.   282 268 550                                                                                                                                                                     
2 Troy University       276 288 564                                                                                                                                                                     
3 Florida Gulf Coast U  296 285 581                                                                                                                                                                     
4 James Madison Univ.   295 287 582                                                                                                                                                                     
5 Gardner-Webb U.       298 306 604                                                                                                                                                                     
6 Florida A&M Univ.     314 295 609                                                                                                                                                                     
Name                       Place  Rnd1  Rnd2  Total
=========================  =====  ====  ====  =====
Matt Savage                  1     69    63    132
Brooks Koepka                2     68    65    133
Wesley Graham             *  3     68    69    137
Nicholas Smith            *  5     68    72    140
Cameron Knight              10t    72    70    142
Seath Lauer                 12     73    70    143
Drew Kittleson              13t    74    70    144

Callaway Collegiate Medal Play, 3rd place
03/22/2009, Rancho Sante Fe, Calif.

From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.

Seminoles To Face Texas Tech At Callaway Match Play Championship.

Koepka and Kittleson lead Seminoles through stroke play.

RANCHO SANTA FE, CA - The Florida State University men's golf team finished in a tie for second place during two rounds of medal play and will face Texas Tech in the first round of match play at the Callaway Collegiate Match Play Championship at The Farms Golf Club. The Seminoles were led by freshman Brooks Koepka and junior Drew Kittleson during the first day of the event which will now move into three rounds of match play on Monday and Tuesday.

The Seminoles overcame steady winds with strong gusts and showers during the first round to play their best golf of the spring season.

The top eight teams from medal play (Indiana, San Diego State, Florida State, Texas A&M, UCLA, Texas Tech, Middle Tennessee State and Stanford) have advanced to the championship bracket while teams nine thru 16 (Arizona State, San Diego, Alabama, Tennessee Chattanooga, Charlotte, Louisville, UC Irvine and Duke) will compete in the consolation bracket of the match play event.

"Today was a day that showed we are learning from our experiences," said head coach Trey Jones. "We came out and competed on a difficult golf course in adverse weather during the morning round and most of the afternoon round."

Keopka led the Seminoles with scores of 71 and 73 for an even par total of 144 through the first two rounds of the event. He is in a tie for fourth place in the individual standings. Junior Drew Kittleson, who will play in the Master's Championship in April, is in a tie for seventh place with a two-round total of 145. He carded scores of 70 and 75. Matt Savage is in a tie for 10th place in the individual standings with a 36-hole total of 146.

"Matt Savage showed why he is a two-time all ACC player," said Jones. "He did not have his best ball striking day but found a way to get it around. Matt is a great competitor and knows how to get it down when needed. Drew and Brooks played solid rounds "The reason we are here is to prepare for the new NCAA championship format and get some team match play experience," said Jones. "We know we have two exceptional match play players in Drew and Matt. I am looking forward to seeing all of our guys compete tomorrow."

Callaway Collegiate Match Play Championship/March 22-24, 2009/Par 72
The Farms Golf Club/Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.

Championship Bracket
(1) Indiana vs. (8) Stanford
(4) Texas A&M vs. (5) UCLA
(3) Florida State vs. (6) Texas Tech
(2) San Diego State vs. (7) Middle Tennessee

Consolation Bracket
(9) Arizona State vs. (16) Duke
(12) Alabama vs. (13) Charlotte
(11) Chattanooga vs. (14) Louisville
(10) San Diego vs. (15) UC Irvine

Name                       Place  Rnd1  Rnd2  Total
=========================  =====  ====  ====  =====
Brooks Koepka                2t    71    73    144
Drew Kittleson               7t    70    73    143
Matt Savage                 10t    74    72    146
Seath Lauer                 47t    80    73    153
Cameron Knight              78     82    81    163

Florida State 3.5, Texas Tech 1.5
03/23/2009, Callaway Match Play, Rancho Sante Fe, Calif.

From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.

Florida State Men's Golf Team Defeats No. 10 Texas Tech In Callaway Match Play Championship.

Seminoles advance to second round of match play against Middle Tennessee State.

RANCO SANTE FE, CA - The No. 22 ranked Florida State University men's golf team defeated No. 10 Texas Tech, 3-1-1, in the first round of match play at the Callaway Match Play Championship at the Farms Golf Club. The Seminoles' victory over the Red Raiders advanced them to the second of three rounds of championship bracket match play where they will meet Middle Tennessee State. The Blue Raiders defeated San Diego State in the first round.

The Seminoles advanced to the championship round of match play with a strong finish in the first two rounds of stroke play on Sunday. The Seminoles finished in a tie for second place during the 36 holes of stroke play (behind No. 6 ranked Indiana and tied with San Diego State) and were one of eight teams to qualify for play in the championship bracket. Freshman Brooks Koepka led Florida State through the two rounds of stroke play with an even par total of 144.

Koepka was again a standout golfer for the Seminoles in match play as he defeated Santiago Rivas by a 2 and 1 count. The Seminole freshman took the lead on the third hole and held that lead until the match was declared over after 17 holes. Koepka worked hard and increased his lead to as many as four holes before dropping two of the last three holes. He was up by two with only the 18th hole remaining to be played and was award the victory.

Florida State's Drew Kittleson, won his first round match by a 3-2 count over Nils Floren. The sophomore, who will play in this years Master's and U.S. Open Championships, took the lead after nine holes were played and never looked back. Kittleson built his lead over the final seven holes and was declared the winner when he held a three hole lead with only two holes remaining to be played.

Seminole All-American Matt Savage played one of only two matches that went the 18 hole distance. Savage led the match for 12 of the first 13 holes before falling into a tie. With the match tied and only two holes remaining to be played, Savage won the 17th hole and tied the 18th hole to gain the victory.

Seminole junior Seath Lauer earned a tie in his match against Texas Techs' Will Griffin. Lauer never trailed and led by as many as three holes before falling back into a tie over the final three holes of the match.

The Seminoles are in contention to claim the team championship. Should they defeat Middle Tennessee State, they would face the winner of the semifinal match between UCLA and Indiana for the title on Tuesday.

#22Florida State defeats Texas Tech, 3-1-1

Florida State (4) vs. Texas Tech (1)
Drew Kittleson (FSU) def. Nils Floren (TT), 3 and 2
Matt Savage (FSU) def. Santiago Rivas (TT), 1 up
Brooks Koepka (FSU) def. Garrett Merrell (TT), 2 and 1
Chris Ward (TT) def. Cameron Knight (FSU), 6 and 4
Seath Lauer (FSU) tied Will Griffin (TT), halved


Middle Tennessee St 4, Florida State 1
03/24/2009, Callaway Match Play, Rancho Sante Fe, Calif.

From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.

Middle Tennessee State def. #22 Florida State, 4-1

Rick Cochran (MTSU) def. Drew Kittleson (FSU), 4 and 2
Chas Narramore (MTSU) def. Matt Savage (FSU), 7 and 6
Brooks Koepka (FSU) def. Jason Millard (MTSU), 3 and 1
Kent Bulls (MTSU) def. Cameron Knight (FSU), 2 and 1
Craig Smith (MTSU) def. Seath Lauer (FSU), 3 and 2


Florida State 2.5, UCLA 2.5
03/24/2009, Callaway Match Play, Rancho Sante Fe, Calif.

From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.

Seminoles Finish In A Tie For 3rd Place At Callaway Match Play Championship.

Savage and Koepka lead Seminioles in national event.

RANCO SANTE FE, CA - No. 22 Florida State tied No. 19 UCLA, 2-2-1, in its final match of the tournament and finished in a tie for third place in the team standings as play in the Callaway Match Play Championship came to a close Tuesday afternoon at the Farms Golf Club. The Seminoles were down early in their final match against the Bruins but fought back to take the lead only to have the match tied on the last hole of the match. UCLA tied the match on the final hole of the match as Philip Francis won his final hole against Florida State's Brooks Koepka to earn a tie and complete the team match with a 2-2-1 score.

"I am proud of our guys for coming out to the west coast and competing with some of the top teams in the country," said head coach Trey Jones. "This was a great experience with a lot of positives as we continue to prepare for the ACC Championship."

Koepka, a freshman competing on a national stage in only his first season as a Seminole, finished match play with a 2-0-1 record after finishing in a tie for fourth place in stroke play competition. He carded an even par 144 in two rounds of stroke play to begin the tournament.

"Brooks Koepka led us the entire week and is improving every round," said Jones. "To come out here and finish fourth in the stroke play and not lose a match shows he can compete with anyone for five straight rounds."

Florida State's Seath Lauer won the first match of the final round for the Seminoles as he defeated Connor Driscoll of UCLA by a 3 and 2 score. After victories by UCLA's Gregor Main (over Florida State's Drew Kittleson) and Beau Schoolcraft (over the Seminoles' Cameron Knight) the drama was set for the only unfinished match between the two teams.

Koepka led the match over six of the final nine holes and never trailed before Francis tied the match on the final hole. Francis carded a five as compared to Koepka's six on hole No. 3 to pull into a tie. The match went back and forth over the entire 18 holes with Koepka up by only as many as two consecutive holes before Francis would rally to bring the match to all square.

Seminole All-American Matt Savage won his match with a 2 and 1 victory over UCLA's Erik Flores. He never trailed the UCLA All-American and led over the course of the final 16 holes of the match.

The Seminoles were knocked out of contention for the team title by Middle Tennessee State University in the semifinals. The Blue Raiders advanced to the finals against Indiana with a 4-1 victory over the Seminoles. Koepka was the lone victor for Florida State has he gained a 3 and 1 victory over Jason Millard of Middle Tennessee.

The Seminoles defeated No. 10 ranked Texas Tech, 3-1-1, in the first round of match play after finishing in a tie for second place in stroke play over the first two rounds of the event.

Florida State plays its final regular season match of the spring season as it travels to play in the U.S. Collegiate Championship at the Golf Club of Georgia on April 4-6. Kittleson will play in the Master's Championship at Augusta National Golf Club April 6-12 and will be unavailable to play in the U.S. Collegiate Championship with for the Seminoles.

Middle Tennessee State won the championship of the event with a 4-1 victory over Indiana.

#22 Florida State tied #19 UCLA, 2-2-1

Gregor Main (UCLA) def. Drew Kittleson (FSU), 2 and 1
Matt Savage (FSU) def. Erik Flores (UCLA), 2 and 1
Brooks Koepka (FSU) tied Phillip Francis (UCLA), halved
Beau Schoolcraft (UCLA) def. Cameron Knight (FSU), 3-2
Seath Lauer (FSU) def. Connor Driscoll (UCLA), 3 and 2


US Collegiate Championship, 15th place
04/07/2009, April 5-7, 2009, Alpharetta, Ga.

From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.

Koepka Finishes In A Tie For 7th At US Collegiate Championship.

Freshman playing as Seminoles best player heading into ACC Championship.

ALPHARETTA, GA - Florida State University freshman Brooks Koepka earned his third consecutive top-10 finish as he carded a 74 in the final round of the U.S. Collegiate Championship and finished in a tie for seventh place in the individual standings as the final round of the event was played at the Golf Club of Georgia. Koepka finished second at the Florida State Spring Break Invitational and in second place during the stroke play competition at the Callaway Match Play Championship earlier this month and has not carded a score above 74 in his last seven rounds.

No. 5 Clemson rallied from a tie for sixth place after two rounds to claim the team championship. The Tigers turned in the only sub-par team score of the third round to climb past six teams to win the team title. Bud Cauley of Alabama and Erick Flores of UCLA tied for the individual championship with four under par scores of 212.

Koepka was Florida State's leader throughout the event after carding a two-under par 70 in the first round of the event. He maintained his top-10 standing in the second round with a two-over par 74 and closed with a second strong score of 74. Koepka was poised to shoot one of the best rounds of his short collegiate career and was two strokes under par through his first 11 holes of the final round before carding four bogeys over his final seven holes to finish at two over par for the afternoon.

Koepka is minus nine strokes under par in his last three tournaments and seven total rounds. He carded his career low score of 65 in the second round of the Florida State Spring Break Invitational on March 12.

Junior Cameron Knight carded an equally strong score of 74 in the final round and finished in a tie for 43rd place with a 227 total for the 54 hole event. He carded scores of 74 in the first and third rounds. Knight was at even par through his first 13 holes before giving back two shots on bogeys over the final five holes of the event.

With its regular season now complete, Florida State sets its sights on defending its ACC Championship on April 17-19 at the Old North State Club in New London, N.C. The Seminoles won the first ACC golf championship in school history on the same course in 2008.

                                                                                                                                                                                                   
US Collegiate Championship/Par 72/Final Team Results                                                                                                                                                    
Golf Club of Georgia/Alpharetta, Ga./April 5-7, 2009                                                                                                                                                    
1.   Clemson        876   9.    Southern Cal.        888                                                                                                                                                
2.   Stanford       878   10.   Oklahoma State       895                                                                                                                                                
3.   Georgia Tech   881   11.   South Carolina       897                                                                                                                                                
4.   Georgia        883   12.   East Tennessee St.   906                                                                                                                                                
T5.  Alabama        886   13.   Florida              909                                                                                                                                                
T5.  Washington     886   14.   Indiana              910                                                                                                                                                
T5.  Texas A&M      886   15.   Florida State        915                                                                                                                                                
8.   UCLA           887                                                                                                                                                                                 
Name                       Place  Rnd1  Rnd2  Rnd3  Total
=========================  =====  ====  ====  ====  =====
Brooks Koepka                7t    70    74    74    218
Cameron Knight              41t    74    79    74    227
Matt Savage                 64t    79    76    77    232
Seath Lauer                 73     79    80    79    238
Wesley Graham               77t    88    80    79    247

The Masters
04/12/2009, April 9-12, 2009, Augusta, Ga.

Drew Kittleson Diary: My First Day
Monday, April 6, 2009
By Drew Kittleson

Florida State Sophomore Drew Kittleson, the runner-up at the 2008 U.S. Amateur Championship, is penning an exclusive diary for masters.com during the 2009 Tournament. The Scottsdale, Ariz., native is making his first Masters playing appearance in only his second year with one of college golf's most successful programs. During the Masters, he will write daily on his experiences and performances in his initial showing at Augusta National Golf Club.

After thinking about this for so long, I don't know if I could have had a better first day for my Masters week.

Probably the highlight was playing my practice round with Masters champion Mark O'Meara today at Noon.

He had a lot of stories about life and different stuff, not just about golf, so it was a fun walk and have a good time together. He's gotten involved in architecture along with fly fishing. He has kids my age, and of course, knows Tiger really well.

I expected the crowds to be big today, and they certainly were. That's what makes it exciting, just to have everybody here.

For my first tee shot, I blistered it right down the middle of the fairway, which felt pretty good. I probably should have saved that for Thursday's first round.

I had known Mark for a while because of his son Shaun. We've played some golf together, and I actually had dinner with Mark and his family once so he was very nice to ask me to play to start off my week.

He's got a lot of knowledge about the course and the Tournament, and we had a really good time together. He also gave me some really good advice for the week ahead. He said to just enjoy it more than anything. You want to win and do well, of course, but it would be sad if you didn't just soak it all in and enjoy it.

Mark told me when he played here as an amateur (1980), that's what he did, and I should try to do that as well.

Of course, I had to ask him about his victory here in 1998. He was very modest but just said the course was a lot different than when he won.

Still, he has a Green Jacket and is going to the Champions Dinner Tuesday night so that's pretty cool.

Even with the wind swirling and the temperatures in the 50s and 60s, I felt fine playing in just shirt sleeves when we teed off today. I was kind of nervous on the first tee, but it was OK.

One of the great things about the week is getting of hang out with so many of my friends from college and back home in Arizona. Man, there are so many of them and they are everywhere. Coming off the first green today, one of my buddies stopped me, and it was great to see everybody.

Mark and I just played nine holes today, but that was OK. After we got finished, I got to take about 10 of my buddies down to Amen Corner, to take pictures and check out everything.

None of them had ever been here before, so it was pretty cool to show them everything. Hopefully, I'll play in a lot of Masters in my career, but there is always something about seeing things for the first time.

After that, I just got something to eat, hit some balls, took them back to my dad's house and on to where they are staying.

I had to hurry and get back to my room at the Crow's Nest, to clean up for the amateur dinner held each year on Monday night.

To me, that's one of the real great things about playing golf. You get to meet so many interesting people from all over the world. I, of course, knew Danny (Lee) from the U.S. Amateur, but I didn't really know a lot of the other amateurs.

Getting to meet them this week and trying to form friendships is one of the really great things about what we do with golf.

Other than that, it was a pretty normal day. I've been here since Friday night, but my dad and I just rented a hotel room for the weekend. I got to the course about 8:30 a.m. today, had breakfast in the clubhouse and just got ready to play, then warmed up on the range for today.

After the dinner tonight, I'm going to stay in the Crow's Nest in the clubhouse. I'm keeping my clubs there and it's real close to stay after the dinner.

On Tuesday, I'm scheduled to play a practice round at 8 a.m. with Phil Mickelson, weather permitting, so that should be pretty interesting.

The week has only just started, but already I'm having a great time. It should only get better.


Drew Kittleson Diary: Experiencing A Pretty Cool Day
Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Today, I completed my former Masters Champions tour and it was quite an experience. Sunday, I played with Craig Stadler; Monday it was Mark O'Meara and today I played a practice round with Phil Mickelson.

It was a pretty cool day and that doesn't just mean the weather. Phil and I teed off about 7:55 a.m., and the gates were not even open yet, so there was nobody out there. I think we were the only group of players out there for an hour or so, and when we got to the par-4 7th hole pretty much everybody on the course was watching us.

It was almost like a video game where every step you took, you heard hundreds of clicks of cameras. That was pretty neat.

Phil was great helping me out as far as the (future) pins were concerned and where I should be hitting the ball.

But he also talked about life and golf and how to treat the week. Some guys might shy away from playing with people like Phil, but hopefully I will be on that stage again one day, and what better way to learn.

It was actually the second time I've played golf with Phil. The first was when I was either 12 or 13 years old in Scottsdale where we both lived then.

A mutual friend of ours set it up and played with us and it was a special occasion. Phil remembered that day and this time, we had a friend through (Mickelson's teacher) Butch Harmon who helped set it up.

We had a great day because we both have lived in Scottsdale. He went to Arizona State and I was a big fan growing up. We had a lot to talk about.

One highlight was skipping shots across the water on the Par-3 16th. That's a big Masters tradition and, of course, I practiced that during my (previous) practice rounds here. I hit it up on the top tier of the 16th green and got a big cheer from the crowds which were around the green.

Walking the fairways, talking about the Masters, how much better can it get? After we got finished on 18, Phil walked over and greeted my dad, Kurt, and had him take a photo of me and Phil together.

Then, he asked my dad if he had a clubhouse badge, and invited us to have lunch with him in the Champions Locker Room. Man, how cool is that.

Just a classy guy and something my dad and I won't forget anytime soon.

Monday was my first night sleeping in the Crow's Nest and that was pretty special. The U.S. Mid-Am guy is not there because he has his wife and kids in town, so me and the British Amateur champion (Holland's) Reiner Saxton have been hanging out and just getting to know each other.

It's been a lot of fun and I've got to admit he has some funny stories. We spent some time talking with the employees as well; they have some pretty sweet stories.

Monday at the annual Amateur dinner, we had a good time, because we were all together. On the menu were steak, a really great salad, and some French dessert.

After my round with Phil and lunch, I went out and practiced for a while on the range. I came back, took a nap, trying to conserve my energy, and then spent time with my family and friends.

Dinner Tuesday night was back in the clubhouse. I'm going to eat there as much as possible. I mean, I can have dinner with my dad any time, but I can't always eat at Augusta National.

I'll have my dad on my bag at the Par 3 Contest Wednesday, so that will be pretty special. While most of the players have the big staff bags, I still have my small Florida State carry bag for this week. My caddy tells me it's almost like cheating for him to carry that. I'm glad I can help him out. I know my dad will appreciate that as well.

I've also got a practice round set with Adam Scott Wednesday morning. It's time to get ready for the final day of practice and get ready to go. Can't wait to see what going to happen next; it's already been pretty memorable for me, my friends and family.


Drew Kittleson Diary: A Valuable Lesson About Autographs
Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Today was Par 3 Contest day and I learned one valuable lesson - always have your own Sharpie. You think I would know that after three days, but I really needed one today!

I know I've never signed as many autographs in my life as I have this week - back and forth to the practice green and at the Par 3 Contest - and it was incredible. The pros are pretty quick at signing and they all have their pens.

Otherwise, the day was really great. I had my dad, Kurt, on the bag and that was pretty special. He hasn't caddied for me in a long time.

He hasn't asked for a raise yet after his work today; I did have a pretty light bag, but since he's usually the funder in the family maybe I'll be asking him for a raise.

Of course, with all my friends and family here I'm also thinking about my mom, Janis. She passed away when I was 13, the same week I actually won a tournament, but I know she would have liked this.

She wasn't the biggest golf fan in the world, but I know she would have been proud of her son playing in the greatest golf Tournament in the world. A lot of times they didn't let parents watch junior tournaments, but she would have been here for this one.

That's why this week is so special for me. All my friends and family are here, my aunts and uncles, dad and step-mom, friends, family, coaches, buddies back home.

Hopefully I'll play here a bunch more times, but probably there won't be as many people here.

As far as the Par 3 Contest was concerned, I didn't have a great strategy today, just mainly to have fun. I've played the par 3 course a few times during my practice rounds and really enjoyed it, but never made a hole-in-one.

That's probably what today was to me - a hole-in-one contest, not really a closest-to-the-pin contest.

I really thought I had made one. I hit it up there on No. 3 and it nearly hit the pin for an ace, but just skipped past. That would have really been special. I played pretty well and I thought it was a good day. I finished one over par and that's about as well as I have done here.

On the ninth hole, I was coming up to the green and just picked out two kids to help me make the putt, another Masters tradition.

I had a really tricky downhill putt for birdie on No. 9, 15-20 feet, and man they almost made it.

The Par 3 Contest really helped me get ready for my week. I think I've done about as much as I can do to prepare.

I've played a bunch of rounds here, practiced, got a good game plan, and I'm ready to go. After being here a lot of times, I think this is a course you have to be conservatively aggressive. Take your time, then take your chances.

I'm feeling a little bit of nerves, but it's the Masters so if you're not a little charged up something is wrong.

After the Par 3 Contest, I went to lunch on the clubhouse lawn with my Florida State coach Trey Jones and his wife, along with some other friends.

After lunch, I just went out and hit balls, then headed back with my friends and family. We have a brief reception tonight with some food and I will go back to the Crow's Nest and get ready for round one.

I've got plenty of Florida State stuff to wear and I have an aunt who picks out all my clothes, sort of like Tiger, so she'll have some good FSU gear put together.

It's already been a great week, but tomorrow is the big day. I can't wait to see what happens.


Drew Kittleson Diary: No One To Blame But Myself
Thursday, April 9, 2009

Today wasn't the round I wanted or expected (78), but I really have nobody but myself to blame.

Nothing went right for me, but I was the problem, not the course or the weather.

I got to the first tee and I was nervous and charged up, but not as bad as I thought I would be. I hit a bad shot off the (first) tee. It hit the trees and bounced back toward the fairway. I would have been better off if it had bounced into the ninth fairway.

I put my second shot in the bunker and made bogey and it was pretty much downhill. Just a bunch of bogeys and double bogeys, a long day.

In retrospect, I probably shouldn't have played so much earlier in the week. I think I overdid it and I was just exhausted by today.

Last night after the reception and hanging out in the Crow's Nest, I just fell into bed exhausted. I had an 11 a.m. tee time and managed to wake up before my alarm went off, so at least I didn't oversleep.

I got up, tried to get down some breakfast, and headed to the range to practice. After the first nine I was only one over (par), but it still wasn't very good. I was hitting it all over the place and I really paid for it on the second nine.

I had a double bogey on the 10th hole and another double bogey on the par-3 12th. I managed birdies on the par 5s, 13 and 15, on the second nine, but gave it right back with bogeys at 14 and 16. I made a final bogey at 18, when my approach shot skipped into the crowd and I had to chip out.

My dad Kurt was there behind the 18th hole to give me a big hug after the round along with my Florida State coach. We just walked arm-in-arm to the clubhouse.

I can't say the course conditions really changed that much from the first couple of days. Maybe it was a little firmer and faster, but not that much.

The fans were encouraging and even said, 'chip it in,' when I hit it into the crowd on 18.

I certainly couldn't help but notice the great round Larry Mize (67) played along with John Merrick. I don't really know Larry, but I certainly know about his Masters victory.

It wasn't Larry's experience that beat me today, it was his game. It wouldn't matter if we had played any course, any conditions. He would have won today because he played better than I did.

We didn't really talk that much on the course. I just said, 'good birdie.' A lot.

Of course, I've had poor rounds in high school and college and had to come back the next day. Deep down, I know I can play better, but it's still a matter of doing it. I'm glad I have a chance to play again tomorrow.

The way I look at it, I'd probably be at practice with my team at Florida State right now, and this is way more fun than practice.

Tonight, I plan to rest and take it easy. I need to, because tomorrow is another round and I'm playing early.

That means there's another test in my Masters week and one more chance to improve on today's play.


Drew Kittleson Diary: Masters Adventure Is Crystallizing
Friday, April 10, 2009

Well, my great Masters adventure is finally over. But at least I will have one or two shots and pieces of crystal to remember it by.

It was an up-and-down ride to say the least. I think my Florida State coach told me I made three pars on the back nine over the last two days. That's pretty wild, along with plenty of double- and triple bogeys.

But the one shot everybody will remember, including me, came today on the par 4 11th hole.

I hit a beautiful drive, right down the middle of the fairway with 195 yards left to the pin. I've read a lot of Masters history and I know about the famous things which have happened there. Now, I guess I'll be a very small part of that.

I hit my 6-iron shot right on the line and while I didn't actually see it go in the hole that's certainly where it was headed. The roars let me know it had gone in for an eagle two.

I threw both of my arms out in the air like I was flying. My playing partners all gave me a handshake or high-fives and I just felt incredible.

I did the FSU tomahawk chop on the fairway, which may be a first in Masters history, and then went over to high five my buddies outside the ropes.

It was pretty crazy out for a while, so I had the calm myself down. Every time I had a chance for an eagle this week, like on the par-5 second hole Thursday, my friends would start chanting 'crystal, crystal,' which is what they give you for eagles around here.

I finally got one, but I don't even know how often that's been done on No. 11 (nine times); still it was pretty amazing.

Of course, I followed that up with a triple bogey on No. 12, when the wind was really crazy, and I hit it in the water on No. 13 on my second shot.

The other highlight was on No. 15, the par 5, where I hit another 6-iron to about 25-30 feet and made that uphill putt for a second eagle.

That's why I held up two fingers as I was walking off the green. Two fingers, two eagles, two pieces of crystal. I guess it's pretty exciting how I put my name in the record book on No. 11.

I don't think I'll frame that 6-iron; I still need it for college, but I probably need to hit it more often.

As far as getting a crystal container for my apartment, I don't really have anything like that, because I never really needed it before.

Maybe I'll send one of my crystal pieces back home to Arizona and keep one at home in Florida State. That's probably a good plan.

Because we teed off so early in the morning (8 a.m.), I didn't really have much time to do anything other than wake up and play golf.

I got up about 6:30 a.m., went on a quick jog, got ready, hit balls and played. Of course, I had another omelet. If somebody is cooking them, I'm eating 'em. That's one thing I'm going to miss here, the great food.

My playing partners were great and it was just a special time this week. Overall it was unforgettable, that's probably the best word I can find to describe the entire time.

I'd like to think I'm pretty close out here, but I just want to play and get better. I certainly want to get back.

I'm planning on staying the rest of the week at the Tournament, hanging out for another couple of nights at the Crow's Nest.

Because I've missed so much school work, I'll probably do some homework Saturday morning and go out to the course Saturday afternoon. We leave Wednesday for the ACC conference tournament where we are the defending champions, so I certainly have to get ready for that.

I appreciate my teachers letting me miss so much class, especially Ms. McCrea, who was looking for a shout out from my diary and now has one.

Just to have so many friends and family here was tremendous, even PGA Tour golfer Jeff Sluman, who loaned me his caddy for the week, came out here to watch me play Thursday.

It will take a week or so to really collect my thoughts, maybe crystallize them I should say, but I've been writing things down to help me remember.

It was lots of fun, lots of memories, and now a couple of cool glasses to drink out of and hopefully toast my future success.

Name                       Place  Rnd1  Rnd2  Total
=========================  =====  ====  ====  =====
Drew Kittleson             mc      78    72    150

ACC Championship, 10th place
04/19/2009, April 17-19, 2009, New London, N.C.

From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.

Lauer Leads Seminole Men's Golf Team On Final Day Of ACC Championship.

Lauer earns top-25 finish in ACC Championship.

NEW LONDON, NC - Seminole junior Seath Lauer finished in a tie for 24th place and the Florida State men's golf team finished 10th place as play in the 56th Annual Atlantic Coast Conference men's golf championship at the Old North State Club at Uwharrie Point came to a close on Sunday. Lauer was the Seminoles' most consistent player as he averaged 73.00 strokes in three rounds to earn the second top-25 ACC Championship finish of his career.

Georgia Tech won its third ACC championship in the last four seasons - its first outright championship in that span - as the Yellow Jackets defeated Clemson by three strokes. Florida State won the team championship in 2008 and entered the event as the defending conference champion. Georgia Tech led the event wire-to-wire to claim the title.

Lauer finished with a 219 total as he carded scores of 74-72-73 in the 54-hole event. It marked the first time this year that he finished with three scores at 74 or below in the same event. Lauer started quickly as he birdied two of his first three holes and was one under par after his front nine. With five pars and a birdie on his back nine he was able to finish his round with a one-over par score of 73. Lauer finished the third round with three birdies to mark the third consecutive round he had carded three birdies for a total of nine during the tournament.

Lauer finished at three over par for the tournament marking the third time this season he had finished with a tournament score at five over par or better. His total of 219 tied for his best score of the season to go along with a 219 in the Brickyard Collegiate Classic during the fall of 2008.

Freshman Brooks Koepka led the Seminoles though the third round with a three-under par score of 69 - tied for the third best score of his freshman season. Koepka finished the afternoon with 17 holes at par or better with a tournament high three birdies. After a birdie on his first hole, Koepka was never over or at par and was as many as four strokes under par during the round.

Senior All-American Matt Savage finished in a tie for 32nd place as he closed the event with a two-over par score of 74. He averaged 73.67 strokes in the three round tournament as he carded a 71 in round one and a 74 in round three. Sophomore Drew Kittleson, who played in last week's Master's Championship and who will play in the upcoming US Open, finished in a tie for 36th place with a 222 total for the 54 holes played. He closed the event with a 76 after carding a team-leading 72 in the second round. Junior Cameron Knight finished in a tie for 40th place with scores of 75-72-76.

The Seminoles will next play in the NCAA Regional Championships May 14-16. It will mark the fourth consecutive appearance in the regional championship for head coach Trey Jones and the Seminoles.

                                                                                                                                                                                                   
56th Annual Atlantic Coast Conference Men's Golf Championship                                                                                                                                           
Old North State Club at Uwharrie Point/New London, N.C./Par 72                                                                                                                                          
Final Team Results                                                                                                                                                                                      
1.   Georgia Tech       846 2.   Clemson            849                                                                                                                                                 
3.   Duke               861 4.   Wake Forest        865                                                                                                                                                 
5.   NC State           865 6.   Maryland           866                                                                                                                                                 
T7.  North Carolina     868 T7.  Virginia Tech      868                                                                                                                                                 
9.   Virginia           869 10.  Florida State      875                                                                                                                                                 
11.  Boston College     913                                                                                                                                                                             
Name                       Place  Rnd1  Rnd2  Rnd3  Total
=========================  =====  ====  ====  ====  =====
Seath Lauer                 24t    74    72    73    219
Brooks Koepka               27t    72    79    69    220
Matt Savage                 32t    71    76    74    221
Drew Kittleson              36t    70    77    75    222
Cameron Knight              40t    75    72    76    223

NCAA Southeast Regional, 7th place
05/16/2009, May 14-16, 2009, Sorrento, Fla.

From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.

Seminole Men's Golf Team Completes Play At NCAA Southeast Regional Championship.

Koepka leads Seminoles with three sub-par rounds.

SORRENTO, FL - Florida State freshman Brooks Koepka carded a three-under par 68 - his third consecutive round in the 60's - and finished in tie for sixth place in the individual standings and the Seminoles men's golf team finished in a tie for seventh place in the team standings as play in the NCAA Southeast Regional at the Red Tail Golf Club came to a close Saturday afternoon. Neither Koepka (as an individual) nor Florida State (as a team) advanced to the NCAA Championship finals round.

UCF, which led wire-to-wire, won the regional championship with an 11 stoke victory over Georgia, Arizona and South Carolina. The Knights, Bulldogs, Wildcats and Gamecocks along with Iowa finished as the top five teams and qualified to play in the NCAA Championship round at Inverness May 27-30.

"While I am disappointed not to advance to the finals I am proud of the way our guys competed today," said head coach Trey Jones. "They left everything on the course and each player went to the 18th tee focused and determined to do their part. Overall we did not capitalize on our good shots and let too many opportunities get away. I kept waiting for their putters to catch fire but they never did."

Koepka led the Seminoles through the three round tournament with scores of 69-69-68 for a three round total of seven under par 206. In 54 holes played during the tournament, Koepka carded 53 holes at par or better with eight birdies and only one bogey. Koepka's only above par hole came on the 18th and final hole of the second round.

Koepka's score of 68 in the third round was the second best by a Seminole during the tournament. He birdied his first hole and was under par throughout the three-round event. Koepka played so well in fact that he was never above par at any time during the first regional of his career.

"Brooks' performance this week shows a positive outlook to next year's team," said Jones. "If you look at where Brooks was as a player in August and where he is now, you can see his best golf is in the near future."

Senior All-American Matt Savage played the final round of his career at even par 71 and finished with a three under par score of 210. He finished in a tie for 23rd place in the individual standings. Savage carded a team-leading five under par in the first round of the event.

"It was tough for me to walk Matt's final holes with him today," said Jones. "He has meant so much to me, my family, our golf program and athletic department over the past four years. He is such a special person with many intangibles that I hope my son will possess. Matt's competitive spirit and integrity will be past on to future teams."

Sophomore Drew Kittleson played his best round of the regional as he carded an even par 71. He was seven over par after the first two rounds and finished with a seven over par total of 220. Junior Cameron Knight carded a 74 in the final round and finished with a 219 total. Knight carded an even par score of 71 in the first round.

                                                                                                                                                                                                   
NCAA Southeast Regional/Par 71/May 14-16, 2009                                                                                                                                                          
Red Tail Golf Club/Sorrento, Fla./Final Team Results                                                                                                                                                    
1.   UCF              818 T7.  Charlotte          844                                                                                                                                                   
2.   Georgia          829 9.   Kentucky           845                                                                                                                                                   
T2.  Arizona          829 10.  Georgia Southern   847                                                                                                                                                   
T2.  South Carolina   829 11.  Augusta State      854                                                                                                                                                   
5.   Iowa             837 12.  Indiana            855                                                                                                                                                   
6.   Georgia State    843 13.  Campbell           862                                                                                                                                                   
T7.  Florida State    844 14.  Loyola (Md.)       888                                                                                                                                                   

Name                       Place  Rnd1  Rnd2  Rnd3  Total
=========================  =====  ====  ====  ====  =====
Brooks Koepka                6t    69    69    68    206
Matt Savage                 23t    66    73    71    210
Seath Lauer                 33t    71    70    71    212
Cameron Knight              55t    71    74    74    219
Drew Kittleson              60t    71    78    71    220