Florida Southern’s third victory of the fall season brought an important lesson. As head coach Brian Richey pointed out, all three team titles came in different conditions this fall. On Oct. 27, prevailing over a field featuring eight top-20 teams meant preparing for difficult conditions, following the gameplan and keeping the ball in front of you.

“That was the message I sent to them – that no matter the course, they can prepare for it ahead of time and kind of tailor their game for that week and have some success,” he said.

Florida Southern’s 19-under team total for 54 holes at the Golfweek Fripp Island Invitational left them eight shots ahead of runner-up Columbus State. The next-closest team after that was Lee University, in third place at 3 over. Florida Southern led the field in birdies (65) and par-5 scoring at scenic Fripp Island in Beaufort, South Carolina.

“Conditions were extremely difficult. It’s not a long course by any means, but it’s a different style of golf that I feel like the game is going to now. Most of the thing is, how far can you hit it? Can you make birdies?” Richey observed. “This one was more, can you keep the ball out of the elements? Keep it between the OB stakes?"

Before traveling to the tournament, Richey had pulled up the forecast and knew it would be a game of controlling the golf ball. Three players were exempt into his five-man lineup, and he urged them to work on keeping the ball low.

His players took that assignment and ran with it. Richey describes his squad as a great iron-play team.

Over the first 36 holes, Florida Southern counters made no worse than bogey.

“That was our emphasis for that last day as well,” Richey said of the final round, when a handful of doubles crept onto Moc scorecards on the front nine.

The back nine was a different story. Individual medalist Palmer Haynes alone added six birdies.

“Everybody was lighting it up. I just kind of told them, survive that Nos. 6-9 stretch – which was kind of a tough stretch – and I told them, you can attack that back nine,” Richey said. “The guys did a good job preparing, and then for the two guys who weren’t exempt, I think just playing – it’s very hard to get in our lineup. We’ve had sudden-death playoffs for final spots, we’ve had guys coming down the last hole, we’ve had guys shooting 6, 7, 8 under for two, three rounds and getting left at home.

“It’s been very competitive at home, so for our back-end guys, they played the two-round qualifier before we left for Fripp – that was probably enough preparation for them.”

One of those players at the back of the lineup was Haynes, who started the week in the No. 5 spot but topped the individual leaderboard with rounds of 69-70-68. His 9-under total left him two shots ahead of teammate Jack VanderSchuur.

It is so tough to break through team qualifying back home in Lakeland, Florida, that Haynes gleaned confidence from the simple fact that he had done it.

“He spoke to that on the way home as well,” Richey said. “He has missed two tournaments this fall and he has gotten knocked out in sudden-death playoffs and played well. He’s been probably our most consistent player between all the rounds at home. . . Getting through (qualifying), I think he was finally like, ‘I’m playing good and I finally broke through.’ ”

Richey grants exemptions into the lineup to players who win titles. With his Fripp Island victory, Haynes earned a spot in the lineup for the first three spring events.

As the offseason sets in, Richey isn’t a bit worried about complacency setting in with it. Already on the drive back home from Fripp Island, he faced an onslaught of questions from the back of the van about what weaknesses each player needed to address to get better.

“These guys are young and hungry, which is fun.”