At this rate he'll be the greatest collegiate golfer ever.
Maybe that's jumping the gun a bit, but when a freshman shoots 5-under in his first collegiate tournament, beats a field of players from schools like Wisconsin, Purdue, Michigan and Iowa by three shots and later says he didn't play his best golf, who knows what Keven Fortin-Simard is capable of?
"He's capable of winning every week," said Memphis golf coach Grant Robbins.
Fortin-Simard shot 71-69-71 to lock up the individual title and lead the Tigers to a three-way tie for first with Wisconsin and Purdue in their first tournament of the season, the Michigan-Radrick Farms Intercollegiate last weekend.
The Tigers have already won as many tournaments as they did a year ago with the season-opening win.
"It was a surprise for me," said Fortin-Simard. "I didn't know what to expect."
The freshman began the final round at 4-under, but stumbled out of the gate, bogeying two of his first three holes.
Three holes later Fortin-Simard began to claw his way back from the slow start by posting birdies on holes No. 6 and No. 8.
For the rest of the round he hovered around 1-over before tearing through the last three holes with two birdies and a par to finish one under for the day.
He was the only player in the tournament to shoot under par all three rounds.
"In the last round I wasn't playing that well," said the Roberval, Quebec, native. "I didn't feel like I played my best golf the whole weekend, but I was able to pull it together on the last few holes and win."
Like Fortin-Simard, Robbins wasn't quite sure what to expect.
Three of the five golfers Memphis entered into the tournament were playing in Tigers blue for the first time.
Along with Fortin-Simard were freshman Andy Shiels, who shot a 1-over par and Justin Miers, a junior transfer from Middle Tennessee State University, who finished 2-over for the weekend.
Robbins admits he was a little surprised at the success of the three first-year players, given their lack of experience.
"It's very exciting to get the win, especially when you take into account the very young team we have," Robbins said. "We have three new guys that were our top three finishers."
If there is one area Memphis may want to address it's in the least likely of spots - the veterans.
Seniors Clayton Ellis and Allan Thomas both had forgettable tournaments. Ellis shot 18-over, while Thomas posted a 9-over.
"We've got to get better play out of our older guys," said Robbins. "The young guys all played well, but we've got to have everyone playing consistently."
Consistent play will be a must if The U of M hopes to achieve their goal of an NCAA Tournament berth.
Robbins said the margin between teams in college golf has become very small and teams like Memphis have a shot at making the post-season if they play steady golf.
"We have a chance to be very good, especially with the parity in college golf today," said Robbins. "Our goal is the NCAAÃs and we've got that chance."
The U of M will continue their season on Oct.4-5, hosting the Memphis Intercollegiate at the Colonial Country ClubÃs south course.
The Golf Channel to cover Tigers.
The Golf Channel is airing a feature on the Memphis menÃs golf program for its weekly college golf show College Central.
If all goes to plan, The Golf Channel will be at the University tomorrow to air footage of the campus. The camera crews will return for the Memphis Intercollegiate on October 4-5 at Colonial Country Club.
The show, a 30-minute program devoted exclusively to collegiate golf, airs every Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. during the season. The exact date of the Memphis episode will be announced at a later date.
"We are excited about the chance to be on national television and to showcase both the school and the men's golf program," said Memphis coach Grant Robbins through a released statement. "This is a great opportunity to gain some exposure as we continue to build a strong program."
The Golf Channel is available in the Memphis area through Time Warner Cable and most satellite systems.
