DAUFUSKIE ISLAND, S.C. – Windy and tough-scoring conditions led Georgia State to an 11th-place finish on Tuesday afternoon at the Rees Jones Invitational. The Panthers shot a final round 320 as the field's scoring average was 78.16 strokes per player, two-and-a-half strokes harder than the first two rounds.
Junior Damon Stephenson finished tied for 27th after shooting a final-round 79 to finish the 54-hole event at 11-over par.
“Today was a tough day all-around,” head coach Joe Inman said. “We put ourselves up against a wall and tried to fight back, but unfortunately things got tougher. Often trying harder in golf leads to worse results and that is a lesson I think we learned today.
“The good thing is that this is just one tournament. We have an extremely talented team and I have no doubt that we will rebound from today and this weekend. I know that everyone will be hungry to get back on the course in Macon next week.”
Junior Davin White also shot a final round 79 and finished tied for 30th at 12-over.
Senior Tyler Gruca shot an 81 on Tuesday to tie for 37th at 15-over, while sophomore Jonathan “J.J.” Grey also shot a final round 81. Grey finished tied for 57th at 22-over.
Senior Kevin Lee rounded out the Panthers line-up with a final round 84, finishing tied for 65th at 26-over.
Senior Victor Lavin, competing as an individual, tied for 54th at 21-over following a final round 81.
Kennesaw State secured the team title with the best-round of the day on Tuesday, a 10-over 298. The Owls finished the event 21-over, earning a two-stroke victory over South Florida and host South Carolina, each of which finished 23-over. UNCW finished in fourth at 30-over, followed by East Carolina in fifth at 35-over. The Panthers were 59-over par.
South Florida's Chase Koepka shot 74 in the final round to secure a four-stroke win as the only golfer to break par in the event. Koepka finished at 4-under, followed by UNCW's Payne McLeod in second at even. Winthrop's Zach Seabolt finished third at 1-over following a final-round 71. South Carolina's Matthew NeSmith and Kennesaw State's Austin Vick tied for fourth at 2-over par.
Georgia State will return to the course in just over a week at The Brickyard hosted by Mercer. The three-day event begins on Oct. 4 at the Brickyard at Riverside, just off I-75 in Macon.
