The Georgia State men's golf team saved its best round for last, shooting a 6-under par 282 on the final round of the 2009 Turtle Bay Resort College Invitational to close out the fall season. Redshirt-sophomore Jared Cagle led the Panthers with a career-best 68, setting three personal bests during the tournament.
It was the lowest single round that the Panthers shot during the fall season that saw it rain during five of the seven rounds of competition.
The Panthers finished the 54-hole event on Hawaii's North Shore in sixth place, but will use the momentum gained on Wednesday to propel them into a spring season that will feature seven tournaments, including the CAA Championship in April.
Cagle set personal bests for single round score, three-round score and individual finish. The redshirt-sophomore went out in 31, eagling his first hole and making birdies at the 14th, 17th and 18th holes as the Panthers started on the tenth tee. Cagle tied for 26th and shot 220 (4-over) for the tournament, besting his previous marks.
Senior Tom Sherreard shot a final round 1-under par, 71 to finish tied for 15th. After a slow start, Sherreard birdied his eighth, ninth and tenth holes of his round. Sherreard finished the fall scoring top 20 finishes in all three tournaments the Panthers participated.
Junior Alan Fowler also shot a round of 1-under par to tie for 26th. Fowler's final round included five birdies on the par-72, 6,535-yard George Fazio course.
The Panthers played the first two rounds on the par-72, 7,218 Arnold Palmer course, part of the 36 holes of golf at the Turtle Bay Resort.
Junior Brent Paul finished tied for 26th with Fowler and Cagle, shooting a final round 72 to finish 4-over for the tournament. Paul made three birdies in his round, including the challenging par 4 finishing hole.
Junior Alex Castro tied Paul with a 72 over the final 18 holes, tying for 32nd place as all five Panthers shot par or better in the final round.
29th-ranked San Diego State took home the team title, shooting 26-under par for an 18-stroke victory over ninth-ranked. Illinois. The Fighting Illini finished at 8-under, followed by Santa Clara (3-under) and Long Beach State (1-under).
The Aztecs controlled the top of the individual leader board as well. Andrew Cooley and Alex Kang tied for low medalist honors at 7-under. Long Beach State's Michael Drake and Santa Clara's Rick Lamb tied for third at 6-under, while fellow Aztec Johan Carlsson finished alone in fifth at 4-under par.
Only 12 players in the 65-man field finished under par. The international field included teams from Canada and Japan, along with 10 U.S.-based teams.
Georgia State will return to the course on February 8th at the JU Invitational at the Stadium Course of the TPC at Sawgrass. The course is home to The Players Championship. It will mark the first time a collegiate event takes place on the course known for the famed 17th hole.
Team Results:
1. San Diego State - 278-286-274--838
2. Illinois - 290-289-277--856
3. Santa Clara - 290-286-285--861
4. Long Beach State - 285-294-284--863
5. New Mexico State - 291-299-280--870
6. Georgia State - 293-298-282--873
7. British Columbia - 295-297-285--877
8. Hawaii - 288-305-291--884
9. Hawaii-Pacific - 293-307-286--886
10. Air Force - 298-314-290--902
11. BYU-Hawaii - 305-315-301--921
12. Osaka Gakuin - 318-312-307--307
Individuals
T15. Tom Sherreard - 74-72-71--217
T26. Jared Cagle - 77-75-68--220
T26. Alan Fowler - 74-75-71--220
T26. Brent Paul - 72-76-72-220
T32. Alex Castro - 73-76-72--221
