The men’s golf team left the country for spring break, and it just may have been what it needed to shake off the disappointing performance in their previous tournament. BG traveled to Puerto Rico to participate in the Palmas Del Mar Intercollegiate this past Monday through Wednesday and came back with a sixth place finish. The sixth place finish, however, is not what will be remembered from the tournament – it’s the final round performance that needs to be noted. The Falcons finished the final round with 287 as a team, which meant they were the only team to finish the round collectively under the par score of 288. ‘We didn’t play very well the first round, but we saw improvement as each round went on,’ said BG coach Garry Winger. ‘We finished the final round with the best round of the day – which is good.’ BG opened up the tournament with a score of 310 and that put them into second-to-last place. It also put them behind the eight ball when it came to receiving less than desirable tee time selections – which meant dealing the Puerto Rico wind. ‘The only thing that makes Puerto Rico difficult is the wind blows nonstop down there,’ Winger said. ‘Obviously being from Bowling Green, we’re used to the wind, but we weren’t used to the course.’ The team shook off the adversity and put together a round of 296 in the second round and followed that up with the sparkling one under par final round. The team was led by its two junior captains, Matt Schneider and John Powers. Schneider finished the tournament in a tie for ninth place by posting a score of two over par 218. Schneider was a key cog in the Falcon charge on the final day by posting a four under par score of 68. ‘Matt played very well in the final round,’ Winger said. ‘We need Matt to be good for us to be good.’ Schneider rebounded from a poor performance at the previous tournament in Hilton Head, where he failed to break 80 over the three round tournament. ‘Just nice to get that first tournament out of the way,’ Schneider said. ‘I hit the ball really well the whole tournament – just couldn’t get any putts to drop. I was pleased to get my swing back.’ Powers also overcame his fair share of adversity by participating in his first competitive tournament since breaking his wrist during the off-season. Powers finished the tournament with a score of six over 222. ‘I thought [the tournament] was pretty good all things considered,’ Powers said alluding to coming back from the injury. ‘My wrist was pretty sore after the tournament and, I had to take a couple days off afterward.’ Winger mentioned that Powers’ wrist would bother him in the mornings and at night before going to bed. Powers said he hopes to be 100 percent by the Wichita State tournament which is scheduled to take place March 30 and 31. VCU won the overall team title with a score of 870 – helped out by a tournament best second round of eight under par 280. Will Bowman of UNC Greensboro was the low individual, finishing with a five under 211. As mentioned the Falcons will next be in action at the end of the month in Wichita, Kan. ‘It’ll be nice to be able to practice outside and not just into a net,’ Schneider said of the team’s preparation for the tournament.