Carr leads Georgia Southern to team title in Colleton River Collegiate; Penn State finishes 12th

   Georgia Southern is one of those sneaky-good golf programs.  

   You might be surprised to learn the Eagles won the Sun Belt Conference a year ago and were seeded sixth in the NCAA Tallahassee Regional, coming up just a little short of a trip to the NCAA Championship.

   Against a solid field gathered for the Colleton River Collegiate at the Colleton River Club’s Nicklaus Course in Bluffton, S.C., Georgia Southern, No. 59 in the latest Golfstat rankings, showed just how competitive it can be, surging in the final round with a 14-under-par 274 Tuesday to claim the team crown by nine shots over No. 71 Cincinnati

   Ben Carr, a sophomore from Columbus, Ga., led the way in that final-round effort as he closed with a sparkling 7-under 65 over the 7,042-yard, par-72 Nicklaus Course layout to end up in a tie for fourth place with a 10-under 206 total.

   Georgia Southern had opened with a solid 10-under 278 and took a six-shot lead over No. 68 Kansas State into the final round after the Eagles added a 6-under 282 in the afternoon session of Monday’s double round.

   Georgia Southern’s strong finish enabled the Eagles to end up with a 30-under 834 total. Cincinnati, out of the American Athletic Conference, had the best team round of the tournament, a sizzling 18-under 270, in Tuesday’s final round to earn runnerup honors with a 21-under 843 total.

   The Bearcats, who ended up with three players in the top 10 in the individual standings, had opened with a 2-under 286 and added a 1-under 287 in Monday afternoon’s second round before going off in Tuesday’s final round. Cincinnati’s 270 smashed the school record for a single round by five shots.

   Kansas State, out of the tough Big 12, had posted a pair of solid 5-under 283s in Monday’s double round and finished up with a solid 10-under 278 that left the Wildcats a shot behind Cincinnati in third place with a 20-under 844 total.

   Kansas State was led by Luke O’Neill, a sophomore from Ireland who shared individual medalist honors with Ohio State’s Adam Wallin, a sophomore from Sweden, each landing on 14-under 202.

   Behind Wallin, Ohio State, out of the Big Ten, was next in the team standings as the Buckeyes closed with a solid 13-under 275 to finish three shots behind Kansas State in fourth place with a 17-under 847 total. Ohio State had opened with a pair of 2-under 286s in Monday’s double round.

   Ohio State dropped a spot in the Golfstat rankings from No. 36 to No. 37 in the aftermath of the Colleton River Collegiate. The Buckeyes were an 11 seed in that Tallahassee Regional that Georgia Southern was in last spring and made a nice run at a trip to the NCAA Championship, finishing in sixth place, two shots out of fifth, which was the final qualifying spot for nationals.

   Ohio State’s Big Ten rival, Michigan State, finished two shots behind the Buckeyes in fifth place with a 15-under 849 total. The Spartans, who dropped from No. 28 to No. 29 in the Golfstat rankings following their showing at Colleton River, added a 5-under 283 in Monday afternoon’s second round to their opening-round 286 before closing with their best round of the tournament, an 8-under 280.

   Reigning AAC champion South Florida finished four shots behind Michigan State in sixth place in the 15-team field with an 11-under 853 total. The Bulls, who dropped from No. 26 to No. 31 in the Golfstat rankings following their showing at Colleton River, were solid, adding a 286 in Monday afternoon’s second round to their opening round of 5-over 283 before finishing up with a 4-under 284.

   Penn State, ranked 81^st, started slowly, but finished up with a solid 5-under 283 as the Nittany Lions ended up in 12^th place with a 13-over 877 total. After struggling to a 300 in the opening round, Penn State bounced back a little with a 6-over 294 in Monday afternoon’s second round.

   Head coach Greg Nye did get a solid showing from graduate student Lou Olsakovsky, who starred scholastically at Upper St. Clair. After opening with a 74, Olsakovsky carded a solid 4-under 68 in Monday afternoon’s second round and closed with a 3-under 69 to finish in a tie for 12^th place with a 5-under 211 total.

   Penn State finished behind four Big Ten rivals in the standings, Ohio State in fourth place, Michigan State in fifth, Indiana in seventh with an 8-under 856 total and Rutgers in 10^th with a 4-over 868 total and ahead of only one conference rival as Minnesota was three shots behind the Nittany Lions in 13^th with a 16-over 880 total.

   Carr led the way for Georgia Southern as he opened with a solid 3-under 69 before matching par in Monday afternoon’s second round with a 72. His closing 65 left Carr in a tie for fourth place at 10-under, four shots behind the co-medalists O’Neill and Wallin.

   Backing up Carr for the Eagles was Mason Williams, a senior from Bridgeport, W.Va. who contributed a 5-under 67 to Georgia Southern’s strong finish as he landed among a trio of players tied for ninth place at 6-under 210. Williams struggled a little in the opening round with a 74 before adding a 3-under 69 in Monday afternoon’s second round.

   Hogan Ingram, a freshman from Rome, Ga., had a solid showing for the Eagles as he opened with a 4-under 68, struggled a little with a throw-out 75 in Monday afternoon’s second round and closed with a 3-under 69 to finish alone in 14^th place with a 4-under 212 total.

   Brantley Baker, a freshman from Leesburg, Ga., gave Georgia Southern a third finisher among the top 18 as he landed among the group tied for 18^th place at 2-under 214. Baker opened with a 3-under 69 and added a 71 in Monday afternoon’s second round before finishing up with a throw-out 74.

   Rounding out the Georgia Southern lineup was Wilson Andress, a senior from Macon, Ga. who finished in the group tied for 23^rd place with a 1-under 215 total. After matching par in the opening round with a 72, Andress added a 2-under 70 in Monday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 73. Andress’ second-round 70 and his final-round 73 were both counters for the Eagles.

   It was a great battle for the individual title among Kansas State’s O’Neill, Ohio State’s Wallin and South Florida’s Albin Bergstrom, a junior from Sweden and No. 51 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR).

   Bergstrom, who captured the AAC individual title last spring at Southern Hills Golf Club in Brookville, Fla., added a 68 in Monday afternoon’s second round to the sizzling 6-under 66 he fired in the opening round and led O’Neill by two shots and Wallin by three going into Tuesday’s final round.

   But Wallin, who added a 69 in Monday afternoon’s second round to his opening round of 4-under 68, went off with a sizzling 7-under 65 that featured seven birdies and an eagle in the final round and O’Neill, who had registered a pair of 4-under 68s in Monday’s double round, was nearly as good as he closed with a sparkling 6-under 66 as they shared medalist honors, each landing on 14-under 202. It was the first career tournament win for both players.

   Bergstrom finished up with a solid 3-under 69 and ended up a shot behind the co-medalists with a 13-under 203 total.

   Indiana’s Drew Salyers, a sophomore from Howard, Ohio, matched Wallin’s closing 65 to earn a share of fourth place with Georgia Southern’s Carr at 10-under 206, three shots behind Bergstrom. Salyers had struggled in the opening round with a 75, but bounced back with a 6-under 66 in Monday afternoon’s second round before his sizzling final round.

   Cincinnati had a pair of players, Sam Jean, a junior from Greenwood, Ind., and Ty Gingerich, a sophomore from Russiaville, Ind., among a trio of players tied for sixth place at 7-under 209, three shots behind Salyers and Carr.

   Jean and Gingerich had identical splits, each adding a 70 in Monday afternoon’s second round to an opening-round 71 before finishing up with a solid 4-under 68.

   They were joined at 7-under by Michigan State’s Ashton McCulloch, a freshman from Canada who was also in lockstep with Jean and Gingerich, adding a 70 in Monday afternoon’s second round to his opening-round 71 before closing with a 4-under 68.

   Clay Amlung, a senior from Louisville, Ky., gave Cincinnati a third finisher in the top 10 as he joined Georgia Southern’s Williams and Rutgers’ Xavier Marcoux, a junior from Concord, Mass., in a trio tied for ninth place, each landing on 6-under 210.

   After opening with a 71, Amlung struggled to a 75 in Monday afternoon’s second round. But he fueled the Bearcats’ final-round surge with a scintillating 8-under 64 that featured seven birdies and an eagle and matched the single-round program record.

   Amlung shared runnerup honors and Jean finished in a tie for fifth place behind Bergstrom to help Cincinnati finish third behind South Florida in The American Championship at Southern Hills last spring.

   Rutgers’ Marcoux got off to a slow start with an opening-round 74 and added a 2-under 70 in Monday afternoon’s second round. But he, too, finished strong, posting a sparkling 6-under 66 to get into the top 10 at 6-under.

   Joining Penn State’s Olaskovsky in the tie for 12^th place was Michigan State’s James Piot, a fifth-year player from Canton, Mich. and No. 58 in the WAGR. Piot was so impressive in becoming the first Michigander to have his name inscribed on the Havemeyer Trophy with his U.S. Amateur victory at Oakmont Country Club, one of America’s great golf courses, last summer.

   After opening with a 71, Piot carded a 4-under 68 in Monday afternoon’s second round before matching par in the final round with a 72 to finish at 5-under.

   Backing up Olsakovsky for Penn State were a couple of District One standouts of recent vintage, junior Patrick Sheehan, the 2018 District One Class AAA champion as a senior at Central Bucks East, and freshman Morgan Lofland, a two-time Central League co-medalist at Conestoga, both of whom landed in the group tied for 56^th place at 9-over 225.

   Sheehan was really good last summer, including runnerup finishes in the Pennsylvania Golf Association’s R. Jay Sigel Match Play Championship at Sewickley Heights Golf Club and in the Pennsylvania Amateur Championship at Merion Golf Club’s historic East Course. Sheehan got off to a slow start at Colleton River with a 78 before adding a 75 in Monday afternoon’s second round and matching par in Tuesday’s final round with a 72.

   Lofland captured the Pennsylvania Junior Boys’ Championship at Hershey Country Club’s East Course following a runnerup finish in the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s Junior Boys’ Championship at Overbrook Golf Club last summer.

   Lofland struggled in Monday’s double round, adding a 79 in the afternoon to his opening-round 77. But Lofland matched Olsakovsky’s final round of 3-under 69 to move up the leaderboard. On a roster filled with veterans, Lofland keeps proving he belongs in the Penn State starting lineup.

   Junior Jimmy Meyers, the runnerup in the 2018 PIAA Class AAA Championship at the Heritage Hills Golf Resort as a senior at Pittsburgh Central Catholic, finished a shot behind Sheehan and Lofland in 63^rd place with a 10-over 226 total. Meyers added a 78 to his opening-round 75 before closing with his best round of the week, a 1-over 73.

   Rounding out the Penn State lineup was James Allen, a sophomore from Scarsdale, N.Y. who finished in a tie for 70^th place with a 229 total. Allen was solid in Monday’s double round, adding a 1-over 73 in the afternoon to his opening-round 74, both of which were counters for the Nittany Lions. Allen struggled to an 82 in Tuesday’s final round.