The Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU) golf team will be making its sixth consecutive appearance in the National Athletic Interscholastic Association (NAIA) Tournament under head coach Ben Foster when the Sea Lions travel to Silvis, Ill. from May 19-22 at the TPC Deere Run Golf Course. The date is also the 12th in 13 years and Point Loma Nazarene’s 16th overall appearance in NAIA golf competition. “The players have been busy with finals, but we have a good week of practice scheduled for this week,” Foster said. “We played at the Deere Run Golf Course in October, and it’s a great course. The John Deere Classic is played at the Deere Run course.” The Sea Lions clinched the berth in the nationals after a first-place finish in the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) Cascade conference NAIA qualifier, beating out Cal Baptist 890 to 906. The Sea Lions also finished ahead of Concordia (922), Corban College (930), The Master’s College (933), Biola (953), Northwest Christian (957), College of Idaho (1003) and Warner Pacific (1010). Senior Sam Cyr wraps up his stellar collegiate career at Deere Run. In his four years at PLNU, Cyr won 11 tournaments, including the 2008 NAIA championship, and won back-to-back national qualifier tournaments in 2008 and 2009, participating in three international tournaments. “You hate to see the seniors go, but that is part of what we do,” Foster said. “They are student-athletes. They finish their degree and then move on.” Cyr is attempting to become the first PLNU golfer to ever win back-to-back NAIA titles. In addition to his 2008 national title, Cyr placed second in the 2007 NAIA tournament after he was in the lead entering the final round of play. Cyr has been named NAIA All-American three consecutive years, from 2006 to 2008, and is likely to be named All-American for a fourth straight year to tie Daniel Horning’s school record from 2002 to 2005, along with Cyr’s honors as 2007 Region II Player of the Year, 2007 Team Most Valuable Player and holding some of the top five records in PLNU season strokes average. “Sam will probably turn professional in the fall,” Foster said. “He’ll be participating in an amateur invitational tournament this summer and then will come back and finish up his classes before he graduates. Everything is set up for Sam to win the NAIA title and go out with an even dozen victories.” The other departing seniors are Marc Machado and Trent Castro. “Two of our seniors have been with us since they were freshmen,” Foster said. “One guy (Castro) is a local guy (Lakeside High School and Cuyamaca College) and has come in and fit really well on the team.” The other players are sophomores Zack Ponder and Joel Salmond. Ponder was named the team’s most-improved player for this year. “From a team perspective, if Sam plays well in the tournament then the team will play well,” Foster said. “Those are good expectations.”