Muscle Shoals, Ala. – Georgia State finished runner-up at the Sun Belt Conference Men's Golf Championship on Wednesday as North Texas pulled away from the Panthers over the final three holes to take the team title. The Panthers shot a final round 7-over 295 to finish the three-day event on the Robert Trent Jones – Fighting Joe Course at 12-over, just five strokes behind the Mean Green.
The two teams traded the lead over the final 18 holes and after trailing at the turn, the Panthers took the lead with just a few holes to play. North Texas took advantage of the par 5 17th hole, to reclaim the lead and close it out on the 18th hole.
Freshman Jonathan Grey, ranked 51st in GolfStat, shot a final round 2-under 70 to finish alone in fourth at 1-over. After starting the event 10-over after six holes on Monday, Grey went 9-under his last 47 holes to move up from a last place start.
Grey made three birdies and just one bogey in his final round to finish just three strokes off the lead and earn Sun Belt Conference All-Tournament Team honors.
“Our guys fought to the bitter end and that is all that I can ask of them,” commented head coach Joe Inman. “We greatly improved once again this year, but fell just short of our goal. With no seniors, we will be hungry to come back and finish the job next season.
“The Sun Belt Conference did a great job running the championship and we are very thankful that they allowed us to finish our season this way. We will hope for an at-large bid to the NCAA Regionals and see what happens.”
Georgia State was looking to win its seventh conference title in the last 16 years and first Sun Belt Conference Championship. It marked the second straight season the Panthers finished runner-up in a conference championship.
If the Panthers are lucky enough to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Regionals, it would mark the 11th time in the last 15 years GSU made the postseason.
Juniors Grant Cagle and Tyler Gruca, along with sophomore Davin White finished tied for ninth in the 55-player field. White finished with a final round 74, making three birdies to finish the tournament at 5-over par.
Gruca also shot a final round 74, making a pair of birdies, while Cagle shot 77, going out in 1-under, but stumbling to a 6-over 42 as winds picked up.
Sophomore Damon Stephenson shot a final round 5-over 77 to finish at 12-over and tied for 31st.
No. 38 North Texas finished at 7-over following a final round 1-over 289. The Panthers finished four strokes ahead of No. 49 South Alabama as the Jaguars finished at 16-over. Middle Tennessee finished fourth at 22-over, followed by Arkansas-Little Rock in fifth at 30-over.
South Alabama's Lane Hulse won a one-hole playoff over North Texas' Rodolfo Cazaubon after the pair finished tied at 2-under. Hulse shot a final round 72, while Cazaubon shot 74. Middle Tennessee's Lucas Armstrong finished third at even par, with Grey in fourth at 1-over. North Texas teammates Curtis Donahoe and Carlos Ortiz finished tied for fifth at 3-over.
Georgia State will now await word on a potential NCAA Regional bid. It is expected that Jonathan Grey will qualify as an individual if the team does not qualify due to his national rankings. NCAA Regionals are May 16-18 at six national sites.
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