The men's golf team opens the spring season with a tournament at prestigious TPC at Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, on the course famous for its 17th island green. They got in practice rounds this weekend and tee off Monday. Here is a blog of their season-opening adventure.
Tuesday, 3:10 p.m.
The Panthers finished play on the wet Stadium Course in 14th place. Georgia State was never able to find their stroke on Tuesday and will go home for 48 hours to prepare to return to Florida. It wasn't the opening to the spring that the team wanted, but I am sure that Coach Inman will rally the troops for a solid performance at the Gator Invitational this weekend. The team knows that they must start to build momentum for the CAA Championships in April. On to Atlanta!
Tuesday, 11:18 a.m.
Round three is well underway and play seems to be moving rather quickly as rain is forecast for this afternoon. The Panthers are having a rough morning, but will hopefully pick things up with about 11 holes to play. This is the start of a long week for the men's golf team that will drive back to Atlanta tonight and return to Florida late on Thursday to play in the SunTrust Gator Invitational later this week. More updates to follow.
Tuesday, 6:58 a.m.
The teams return to TPC for their final day at the Stadium Course. Day one was difficult for the Panthers, but solid play late in the day kept the team motivated for Tuesday. Teams will have some time to prepare on the driving range and putting green, before returning to their positions from the end of yesterday at 8:30 a.m. Everyone has about three holes to finish up from the second round before continuing on through the final 18. We'll have an update later today!
Monday, 8:14 p.m.
After a long day of golf, the team is just relaxing this evening as they prepare for the final round of play. After a quick dinner, most of the team is just watching a little television and lounging at the villa. It will be an early morning, so we are going to call it a night. Tomorrow is going to be a great day!
Monday, 6:12 p.m.
Monday has come to an end with a few holes to play. The teams will return to the course for an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start. The pairings will remain the same and the teams will then begin round three immediately after they finish their final hole. More information to come shortly.
Monday, 5:32 p.m.
Darkness is quickly setting in along the Atlantic Ocean and it appears as though round two will go into Tuesday. The plan is to play until around 6:15 p.m. and continue tomorrow morning with a shotgun beginning at 8:30 a.m. Teams will just continue to play until they finish the third round. Although the scores may not indicate it, the Panthers are playing better in round two. The course is not necessarily physically tough, but mentally it does a number on you. Another update to come once the round is over.
Monday, 3:35 p.m.
The Panthers finished round one in a tie for 12th place, leading Idaho, USC-Upstate and caa-rival Old Dominion. Round two got off to a better start, but the Panthers are entering the toughest part of the course, so check back soon. It appears as though we will probably not finish round two today, but warmer temperatures tonight are expected to help play start on time on Tuesday.
Monday, 1:42 p.m.
Round one is almost complete on the Stadium Course. A 20-minute frost delay this morning has pushed things back a little and it will be a push to finish things this afternoon. It has been an up-and-down road for the Panthers, but the team has steadied the ship and will hopefully finish strong. Live scoring continues on Golfstat.com and well as live video from the 17th hole.
Monday, 7:59 a.m.
Good morning from chilly north Florida. As you can see, the new website launched overnight and we hope that you will enjoy many of the new features, including more blogs and easier use. Now on to the important stuff...golf!!! The team is just finishing up breakfast and hitting some practice balls as they prepare for 36 holes of golf today. Remember to follow Golfstat.com for live hole-by-hole scoring, as well as a live video feed from the 17th hole. We will be providing updates all day long, so continue to check back frequently.
Sunday, 8:10 p.m.
What a Super Bowl so far! For all the predictions of a high scoring game, it has not been the case so far. The team is gathered and watching it in our villa at Sawgrass after a great afternoon of golf. The 17th claimed its fair share of Panther golf balls, but better to get them out of the way during the practice round. Junior Alan Fowler came heatbrakingly close to duplicating his feat from a year ago of THROWING a golf ball onto the 17th green. Unfortunately, a stiff headwind ended his ball's flight around ten feet short of the promised land. Though junior Alex Castro's eagle at the second may have been the highlight of the day, sophomore Jared Cagle came a foot short, on the ninth, of birdieing every par-5. Also among the memorable moments were senior Tom Sherreard's earthquake-inducing, on-green, hip bump with assistant coach Ben Moody after a 4-iron knocked to within four feet at the seventh, sage wisdom courtesy forecaddy "Marlin", and a buffet that included teriyaki chicken, barbeque ribs, AND grilled grouper. The team will be up and at them early tomorrow morning for the first round of play at the JU Invitational!
Sunday, 2:17 p.m.
We are halfway through our practice round and quickly approaching three of the best holes in golf (16, 17 and 18), a three-hole stretch that has made many professional golfers a lot of money. Others have faultered and never recovered. It is quickly becoming apparent that this will be a tournament we want to come back to for years to come. Coach Inman seems to be having as much fun as the team as everywhere he turns, he bumps into someone he knows. Full report on how the team did on the 17th hole coming later.
Sunday, 9:14 a.m.
Good morning again from sunny Florida. It is actually a little bit cool down here this morning, but no one seems to be complaining as it is much better than what we have dealt with in Atlanta this winter. After a quick bite to eat, we are off to the course. Today is the official practice round and college-am. Everyone on the team has already seen the course, with some players having a great deal of experience. Junior Alan Fowler actually won the SJGT event played on the course before coming to Georgia State. Brent Paul and Jared Cagle have also played in the event before becoming collegiate players. The sometimes overwhelming feeling of playing the course, especially the famed 17th-hole should not be a factor for the team this week, while their previous experiences should really help against the top 25 teams in the nation that are here. We will check back in this afternoon!
Saturday, 9:38 p.m.
An evening in Florida without seafood is just not a good evening, so that is exactly what the team did tonight, going to one of their favorite Ponte Vedra restaurants, Barbara Jean's. Located along the intercoastal waterway, Barbara Jean's features some of the best crab cakes in town and I can say that plenty were consumed. After a long day of practicing, the team took it easy with some players doing a little studying, while others just watched whatever sporting event they could find on television. The team always tries to get a good deal of rest before 36-hole golf days (like the one coming up on Monday) as they can be mentally draining if you do not prepare properly.
Saturday, 3:52 p.m.
After lunch at the clubhouse, at which most people enjoyed hand-carved sandwiches of the day (aside from Jared Cagle who ordered a hand-crafted sammich of the day...brought a smile to the waiter's face too) the team headed back to the short-game area. The return began with an elimination challenge that included the players, coaches and SID's. The award for shot of the afternoon was a draw between junior Brent Paul who holed out from about 50 yards and graduate assistant Cavan Fosnes out-dueling everyone else and sticking a chip to a matter of inches. The list of PGA Tour professionals continued as tournament host Mark McCumber spoke to the team, while fan-favorite Fred Funk showed up as the team was finishing practice. Before the team left, the "who gets the cot challenge" ensued between the five members of the squad. Senior Tom Sherreard dodged a bullet in the third round, but the last man standing (which was a bad thing) was Alex Castro who hit his worst shot of the day (it is still being looked for). Another update after dinner, which will consist of a lot of crab cakes.
Saturday, 11:52 a.m.
The Panthers arrived at the Stadium Course with a little help from Coach Joe Inman, who was able to park the team right up front in one of the PGA Tour member spots (Coach always likes to flash his PGA Tour card). The team enjoyed access at the back of the driving range normally reserved for PGA players only. After a solid hour on the back of the range to work on their individual swings, the team headed to the short-game area for a little fun. The team would have had the back of the range to themselves, however, PGA Tour member Aron Price joined the team midway thru. While at the shortgame area, former Masters champion and friend of Coach Inman, Sandy Lyle, showed up to work on his game as well. The highlight of the shortgame practice was junior Alan Fowler flopping a ball over a tree and into the hole for the team to earn another round of dessert. On to lunch, be back shortly.
Friday, 9:49 p.m.
Hey Panther golf fans! As the rain continues to pour in Atlanta, we have arrived in beautiful Jacksonville, Fla. to open up the spring season. Head coach Joe Inman, after pointing out ever pecan tree in lovely south Georgia, treated the team to dinner at the beach. Word has it, that Coach Moody's mahi-mahi was excellent, setting the bar awfully high for fanciest meal of the week (and we have only been here for about three hours). After dinner, Coach Inman treated the team to ice cream on the dollar menu at McDonalds. Eight members of the travel party went with sundaes, while Assistant Sports Information Director Mike Holmes destroyed the team unity by ordering a vanilla cone (which was very good). While waiting on the ice cream, junior Alex Castro 'spun the hits' on McDonald's complimentary jukebox, nearly bringing down the house and the five people inside. The trip is off to a great start, so make sure you check back frequently over the next four days as the Panthers challenge the famed 17th at Sawgrass!
