Raleigh, N.C. - Fighting tough and windy conditions, the Georgia State men's golf team finished tied for eighth on Tuesday afternoon at the Wolfpack Intercollegiate, hosted by N.C. State. Senior Brent Paul led the Panthers, tying for 16th place.
On a day when every team in the field saw its score increase over round two, the Panthers shot a final round 307 to finished tied with Arkansas-Little Rock.
Paul, who was just a three strokes off the lead entering the final round of play, fought the tough conditions to a round of 77. The senior started double bogey-bogey-bogey on the first three holes, but rebounded with three birdies over the next eight holes to almost get back to even par.
After opening with a round of 292 on Monday morning, the Panthers followed with their best round of the season, a 1-over 285 in the afternoon. The final round 307 dropped State two spots in the standings, but left them ahead of No. 28 Campbell, as well as CAA rivals VCU and George Mason.
"The conditions were difficult for everyone today," commented head coach Joe Inman. "We got off to a little bit of a rocky start and then were able to rebound. Unfortunately, we could not keep that momentum through the final remaining holes of the round."
Senior Alan Fowler fired a final round 77 to finish in a tie for 44th on the par 71, 7358-yard Lonnie Poole Golf Course. Fowler opened the tournament with rounds of 74 and 72.
Freshman Grant Cagle, making his collegiate debut this week, also shot a final round 77 and placed tied for 47th.
Tyler Gruca, a walk-on freshman, who shot 69 in the second round, finished the tournament with a 79 to finish tied for 53rd. Gruca opened the tournament on Monday morning with a 77.
Freshman Ross McLister, also making his collegiate debut this week, shot the Panthers low score on Tuesday, a 76, to move up into a tie for 77th.
Host and 16th-ranked North Carolina State came from behind to win the event by four strokes over No. 20 Duke. The Wolfpack fired a final round 283 to catch the Blue Devils, who dropped to second place. No. 18 Wake Forest finished the event at 3-over par and in third place, followed by Maryland in fourth place at 6-over par. East Carolina rounded at the top five, five strokes back of the Terps.
N.C. State's Albin Choi won the individual title at 6-under par by one stroke over Wake Forest's Lee Bedford. Fellow Demon Deacon Evan Beck and Duke's Brinson Paolini tied for third at 3-under. A group of five finished tied for fifth.
The Panthers will return to action at the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate beginning on Monday morning with 36 holes of play.
Team Results
1. N.C. State - 285-276-283-844
2. Duke - 283-275-290-848
3. Wake Forest - 290-277-288-855
3. Maryland - 282-283-293-858
5. East Carolina - 280-290-293-863
6. UNC Wilmington - 290-290-293-873
7. Memphis - 297-287-294-878
T8. Georgia State - 292-285-307-884
T8. Arkansas-Little Rock - 299-289-296-884
10. Lynn - 292-287-298-885
11. Rhode Island - 301-286-299-886
12. Campbell - 289-298-303-890
13. Western Carolina - 309-289-298-896
14. VCU - 295-292-315-902
15. Navy - 304-296-303-903
16. Francis Marion - 297-300-309-906
17. George Mason - 305-300-302-907
Individual Results
T16. Brent Paul - 68-70-77-215
T44. Alan Fowler - 74-72-77-223
T47. Grant Cagle - 73-74-77-224
T53. Tyler Gruca - 77-69-79-225
T77. Ross McLister - 79-77-76-232
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