The St. Thomas Aquinas Men's golf team didn't let the long, cold winter put a damper on their hot play from the fall. At the Tiffin University "Battle at the Beach" held at Myrtlewood Golf Club in Myrtle Beach, the Spartans came back from six shots back to capture first place.

In their first competitive round of the spring, the team was led by senior Tommy Linehan who carded a stellar round of 2-under par 70.  Sophomore Kai Rastetter battled with his putter but managed to post a round of 76. Freshman Kevin Gately played well all round but struggled around the greens leading to a round of 77. Rounding out the team scoring were Niklas Koerner and Brendan Hunter who carded rounds of 79 and 81 respectively. With a team score of 302, the Spartans found themselves in 4th place, six shots behind the tournament host Tiffin University.

Playing with the leaders in round two, the Spartans knew they had an uphill battle ahead of them. The team played a solid front nine of golf, making the turn at 2-under par. Linehan, who was playing in the final pairing, was the only Spartan who turned over par. Starting the round with a two shot lead, Linehan found himself tied after making two bogeys on his front side. With a near double eagle and two other birdies, Linehan carded a back nine 4-under par 32 to post another marvelous round of 70 and earning him his second victory of the season. Freshman Kevin Gately and Junior Niklas Koerner bounced back nicely in their second round to card scores of 1-under par 71. Brendan Hunter had a nine hot improvement to shoot a round of even par 72 while Kai Rastetter improved on his first round score to post a 74 for the day. The Spartans team score of 4-under par 284 moved them atop the leader board, earning the team a seven shot victory over Tiffin University.

Playing as an individual, sophomore Chris Gentle had his best collegiate round, carding a 1-under 71. His two day score of 147 (76-71) was good for 2nd place behind his teammate Linehan. Kevin Gately's 2-day score of 148 (77-71) earned him a 3rd place finish.

Also playing as an individual, junior Colby Lewis had his best finish of the season with a t-7 after consistent rounds of 75-74. Koerner and Rastetter both posted a two-day score of 150 for the event leaving them in a tie for 11th place. Brendan Hunter managed a t-17th finish after his rounds of 81-72 while Anthony Berardo, who also played as an individual, finished with a 2-day score of 170.

The Spartans will head down south again next weekend to compete in the St. James Plantation Invitational hosted by IUP in Southport, NC. The field will consist of some the top East and Atlantic region teams.