Florida Atlantic’s golf season teed off Monday, with both the men’s and women’s teams competing in unusually chilly conditions during a statewide cold snap.

The men’s team traveled to the Sea Best Invitational at Atlantic Beach Country Club, where temperatures dipped to as low as 30 degrees. The weather proved so severe that Monday’s opening round was delayed until noon instead of the usual 8 a.m., and the third and final round was ultimately canceled. Overall, the Owls did not put up their best performance, finishing 11th in the field at 25-over par.

Head coach Adrien Mörk acknowledged that the cold presented a challenge, but said it was not the defining factor in the team’s performance. “We didn’t play as well as we should have. The cold didn’t help, but it was other stuff as well,” Mörk said. He added that the team may have lacked tournament readiness coming off winter break, along with a lack of discipline on the course, particularly in being overly aggressive in pin-seeking.

He expressed complete confidence in the team’s ability to regain form and said the emphasis moving forward will be to spend more time on the course and less time on the range, focusing on dialing in players’ course management skills and ball flight.

“We learn from our last showing, and we’ll definitely get better,” Mörk said. “I think the guys know they’re really good, and I keep telling them that, so we’re not that far off.”

NaShawn Tyson led FAU at the Sea Best Invitational, carding a bogey-free 2-under 69 in the opening round despite the weather delay, then followed it up with a 3-under 68 in the second round on Tuesday. During the final round, on his ninth hole, the par-5 18th, Tyson made a 25-foot par save that kept him in contention. He called the frigid conditions a challenging test, saying he wasn’t able to prepare for it. 

“I just tried to keep my hands warm,” Tyson said. “I’ve never touched cold like that. Never seen snow in my life.”

Tyson concluded the tournament tied for sixth at 5-under par, outpacing nationally ranked amateurs No. 27 Luke Poulter and No. 34 Jack Turner from Florida. No. 5 Florida claimed the team title at 10-under par, while Chase Haygood of the University of Central Florida finished two strokes better than Tyson at 7-under and took home the individual title.

The Owls will travel to Gainesville, Florida, to compete in the Gator Invitational at Mark Bostick Golf Club on Feb.14–15. 

Tyson emphasized the importance of practicing his putting in preparation, “Putting will be important at Bostic; there’s gonna be a lot of pins you can’t go for, which means it’s gonna be a putting contest.”

The women’s golf team had a similar story: the Owls battled cold weather in their home opener earlier this week at Osprey Point Golf Course. The Owls hosted 16 teams, including nationally ranked programs such as No. 24 Tennessee, No. 25 Oklahoma, and No. 30 Kentucky. FAU finished eighth in the field at +14 over par.

Tennessee took home the team trophy at 10 under-par, while Kyra Van Kan won the individual title with a 10-under-par performance.

Head Coach Heather Bowie noted that the girls had prepared for the harsh conditions by playing a cold scrimmage against Virginia on Jan. 19 and by playing a practice round this past Sunday. She explained that the conditions on Sunday were even more demanding than on the tournament days.

“I think actually practicing on Sunday in the hardest conditions made Monday better,” said Bowie.

Nancy Cox emerged as the low Owl of the tournament; the sophomore finished tied for 11th at 1-under. She opened the event with a 1-over 73 in the first round, adding that it was “probably the most important round” of the tournament.

Cox played her strongest golf in round two, posting a clean scorecard with a 2-under 70, highlighted by two birdies and no bogeys. She attributed the round to her precise ballstriking, having hit 16 of 18 greens and all 14 fairways.

Cox finished the tournament with an even-par 72 in the final round. After making a double bogey on the par-5 fifth hole, she bounced back with a 25-foot birdie putt.

“She was very steady. She kept the ball in front of her, with not very many wild shots or big numbers. She struck it beautifully and gave herself a lot of opportunities. She was very consistent, just had a very narrow shot pattern, which is good,” said Bowie.

Another notable performance came from Carolin Alblas, a senior and transfer student from Keiser University, where she helped lead the team to an NAIA Championship in 2024.

In the third round, Alblas shot a 5-under 67, with four birdies, an eagle, and one bogey. Her eagle came on the par-4 15th after holing out from 71 yards in the fairway. The round vaulted her 33 spots up the leaderboard, finishing tied for 28th.

Overall, Coach Bowie was proud of the way the girls competed, saying, “It was a very tough field, and some of our girls competed with some of the best in the country, and that’s what I wanted them to do. Their energy this week was great, and their commitment was strong. That’s really all you can control in golf: how committed you are to the shot and your process. And they did both of those things very well.”

The Owls will next travel to Eatonton, Georgia, to compete in the Reynolds Lake Oconee Invite at Great Waters Golf Club from Feb. 20–22.

Coach Bowie continues to emphasize a positive mindset as the team prepares for the tournament. “I always get them to remember three things that went well and just pick one thing they could do better, and that’s what we’re going to focus on for the next two weeks. We try to do a three-to-one ratio because the world kind of throws you three negatives for every positive, so we try to flip it,” she said.

Ella Haas is a Contributing Writer for the University Press. Email her at [email protected] or contact her on Instagram @ella_hs7 for information regarding this or other stories.