What You Need to Know:
* Georgia state shot a final round 3-under 285 to finish fifth at the Mobile Sports Authority Intercollegiate on Tuesday.
* Senior JJ Grey recorded his second career third place finish in the event, shooting a final round 72 to finish the 54-hole event at 5-under par.
* Sophomore Alexander Herrmann shot the Panthers low round of the day, a 3-under 69, to finish tied for 17th.
MOBILE, Ala. – Led by his second career third place finish at the event, senior JJ Grey led Georgia State to a fifth place finish at the Mobile Sports Authority Intercollegiate on Tuesday at the Magnolia Grove Falls Golf Course.
Grey shot a final round even par 72 to finish the 54-hole event at 5-under par, making four birdies over the last 18 holes. The finish marked Grey's second top-3 finish of the year and third top 10. He also finished third at the event during the 2013-14 season.
The round of the day for the Panthers went to sophomore Alexander Herrmann who shot a 3-under 69 to finish the event at even par and tied for 17th. He birdied four of his first six holes to tie for his lowest score of the season. It also marked his four top-20 finish this year.
Georgia State shot its best round of the event, a 3-under 285, finishing at 5-under, but was passed by No. 2 Wake Forest and Kansas State on the final hole.
“This is a good start to the spring for us,” head coach Joe Inman said. “We are obviously disappointed that we could not pull a win over the No. 2-ranked team in the country right at the end, but we played well. We made a lot of birdies, limited our big numbers all week and are putting ourselves in position to where we want to be at the end of the year.”
Freshman Nick Budd shot his second 1-under 71 of the event to finish at 2-over par and tied for 30th. He also made four birdies in his final round.
Junior Nathan Mallonee added a final round 73 and finished the event 4-over par and tied for 38th. Sophomore Max Herrmann rounded out the line-up, also shooting 73 to finish at 5-over and tied for 43rd.
No. 4 Auburn once again shot the best score of the day, a 10-under 278, to win by 14 strokes at 26-under par. Chattanooga finished second at 12-under, followed by No. 2 Wake Forest in third at 8-under. All five Demon Deacons birdied their final hole to move ahead of the Panthers. Kansas State finished fourth at 6-under with the Panthers rounding out the top five at 5-under.
Auburn's Michael Johnson, ranked No. 5 in the country, shot a final round 68 to finish at 14-under and earn a seven-stroke win. South Alabama's Peter Staalbo finished second at 7-under. A group of five golfers, including Grey, finished tied for third at 5-under. The group also included Auburn's Jake Mondy, Ole Miss' Ben Wolcott, Wake Forest's Davis Womble and Auburn's Matt Gilchrest.
South Alabama also hosted a separate individual tournament this week in which four Panthers competed. Freshman James Kyles shot a final round 75 to finish the event tied for 18th at 12-over par.
Freshman Nathan Williams shot 76 on Tuesday to finish the two-day event at 16-over and alone in 25th. Freshman Sam Asbury shot his second 75 of the week and finished tied for 26th at 17-over. Hayden Poole rounded out the individuals shooting a final round 79 to finish 31st at 22-over.
Georgia State will return to the course March 6-8, at the Tiger Invitational presented by Jason Dufner and hosted by Auburn at Grand National Golf Club. The Panthers finished third at the event last season.
