Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. - In just his third collegiate tournament, Georgia State freshman Damon Stephenson finished tied for 22nd Tuesday at the SeaBest Seafood Invitational on the PLAYERS Stadium Course at the TPC Sawgrass.
The Panthers shot a final round 314 to finish alone in 13th place after opening play on Monday with rounds of 319 and 307.
Stephenson's first career top 25 finish included five birdies, including three straight over the final three holes of the back nine, which is considered one of the best closing stretches in golf.
"I was proud of the way Damon played today," commented head coach Joe Inman. "He put together a nice round and has something to build on as the spring continues."
Freshman Davin White shot a final round 80 to finish in a tied for 40th at 18-over par. He birdied the famed 17th island hole during his final round.
Redshirt-sophomore Sam Jandel shot a final round 80 to finish in a tie for 47th at 22-over. Jandel recorded a pair of birdies on Tuesday.
Sophomore Tyler Gruca, the top ranked golfer in the CAA, shot a final round 81 to finish at 24-over. Gruca's lone final round birdie came on the difficult par-5 16th hole as he tied for 52nd.
Sophomore Grant Cagle struggled in his final round, shooting 87 to finish the 54-hole event at 37-over, tied for 65th.
Sophomore Victor Lavin, competing as an individual, finished alone in 64th after a final round 86, shooting 35-over.
"We now have three weeks until our next tournament and have some work to do to make sure we are peaking before the conference championship occurs in late April," continued Inman.
No. 34 Florida held its over-night lead to win by 15 strokes over No. 36 Liberty and the 13-team field. The Gators used a final round 297 to finish at 20-over and clinch the title for the second straight year. No. 7 UNF finished in third at 38-over, followed by No. 41 East Carolina in fourth at 45-over. Coastal Carolina rounded out the top five at 47-over par.
Florida's TJ Vogel, ranked 14th in the country, took home low medalist honors as the only golfer to shoot even par. ETSU's Rhys Enoch and East Carolina's Harold Varner tied for second at 2-over par. A trio of golfers finished tied for fourth at 3-over, including UNF's Kevin Aylwin, Liberty's Robert Karlsson and Jacksonville's Jamey Salmon.
Georgia State will return to the course Feb. 20 and 21 at the Wexford Plantation Intercollegiate in Hilton Head, S.C. The 54-hole tournament is hosted by Francis Marion.
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