Florida Southern College junior Palmer Haynes was named the Sunshine State Conference Men’s Golfer of the Week after capturing the individual title at the Golfweek Fripp Island Invitational. His performance also helped Florida Southern win the team championship at the event. The award followed a tournament victory at Fripp Island Ocean Point in Beaufort, South Carolina.
Haynes posted rounds of 69, 70 and 68 for a 9-under-par total of 207. He finished two strokes ahead of teammate Jack VanderSchuur, while Florida Southern completed the tournament at 19-under-par 845. The Moccasins finished eight strokes ahead of runner-up Columbus State.
Haynes closed with eight birdies
Haynes opened with a 3-under-par 69 that included an eagle on the par-5 sixth hole. He followed with a 2-under-par 70 and entered the final round in second place, three strokes behind the leader. He then closed with a 4-under-par 68 to secure the individual title.
Haynes made the turn at 2-over before playing the back nine in 6-under-par 30 without a bogey. He birdied four consecutive holes from Nos. 11-14 and added birdies on Nos. 17 and 18. He recorded eight birdies in the final round and shot under par in all three rounds.
Haynes topped nationally ranked golfers
Haynes finished ahead of nine golfers ranked in the previous week’s Clippd NCAA Division II national top 25. The group included four golfers ranked in the top 10. Those golfers included No. 1 VanderSchuur, No. 7 Colton Swartz, No. 8 Henry Drake of Lincoln Memorial and No. 10 Ashton Eubanks of North Georgia.
Florida Southern’s next event
Florida Southern College is scheduled to host the Matlock Collegiate Classic on Feb. 8-9, 2027. The tournament will be held at Lone Palm Golf Club. It is the next listed event on the men’s golf schedule.
FSB Take
Haynes’ award recognizes an individual championship that also contributed directly to Florida Southern’s team title. His 207 total, two-stroke margin and eight-birdie final round made him the tournament’s leading individual performer. Florida Southern now has its next listed event at home when it hosts the Matlock Collegiate Classic in February.
Source: Original report