Georgia Southern holds off Chattanooga to continue its reign in the Colleton River Collegiate

 

   Division I college golf isn’t just about the Power 5 conferences. There are smaller schools in smaller circuits that put together really strong golf teams and can compete at the highest levels.

   Two of them, Georgia Southern, out of the Sun Belt Conference, and Chattanooga, a Southern Conference entry, battled it out for the team title in last week’s Colleton River Collegiate at the Colleton River Golf Club’s Nicklaus Course in Bluffton, S.C.

   The Eagles soared to the team crown for the third year in a row at Colleton River in wire-to-wire fashion, but the Moccasins gave them a run for their money with a big surge in the final two rounds.

   Leading the way for Georgia Southern was individual champion Brycen Jones, a freshman from Thomasville, Ga. who finished one shot ahead of a foursome of players with a 12-under-par 204 total that gave him his first collegiate victory.

   Jones opened with a sizzling 7-under 65 over the 7,042-yard, par-72 Nicklaus Course layout that matched the low round in a tournament in which the birdies were flying, and added a 2-under 70 in the second round before closing with a 3-under 69.

   Jones’ strong opening round led the way as Georgia Southern got the jump on the field with a 16-under 272. The Eagles added a strong 10-under 278 in the second round before closing with a 6-under 282 that gave them a 32-under 832 total.

   The plan was for teams to play 36 holes Monday with an 18-hole windup Tuesday, but darkness halted play during the second round and teams returned Tuesday morning to complete the second round before playing the final round.

   Georgia Southern was the Sun Belt Conference runnerup last spring, falling to Louisiana in the match-play final. The Eagles were unable to advance to the NCAA Championship as a five seed in the NCAA’s Salem Regional.

   Chattanooga started slowly at Colleton River with a 5-under 283, but carded the low team round of the tournament, a 17-under 271, in the second round before closing with a 12-under 276 for a 30-under 834 total that would win most tournaments, but left the Mocs two shots behind Georgia Southern.

   Chattanooga was led by John Houk, a senior from Etowah, Tenn. who was one of the four players tied for second place at 11-under 205, a shot behind Jones. After opening with a 1-under 71, Houk contributed a sparkling 6-under 66 to the Mocs’ second-round surge before finishing up with a 4-under 68.

   Chattanooga was the runnerup in the Southern Conference last spring before advancing to the NCAA Championship at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. by finishing in third place as the eight seed in the Auburn Regional. Houk finished in a tie for fourth place in the individual standings at the Auburn University Course.

   Rutgers finished strong with a final round of 16-under 272 to end up seven shots behind Chattanooga in third place, the best finish of the five Big Ten schools in the field.

   The Scarlet Knights opened with a 1-under 287 and added a 6-under 282 in the second round.

   Kansas State, an underrated Big 12 entry, finished a shot behind Rutgers in fourth place with a 22-under 842 total. After opening with a 3-under 285, the Wildcats added a 6-under 282 in the second round before closing with a rush in the form of a 13-under 275.

   Kansas State failed to advance to the NCAA Championship as a five seed in the Bath Regional last spring.

   Another Big Ten entry, Michigan State, and Missouri, out of the ultra-competitive Southeastern Conference, finished in a tie for fifth place at 19-under 845, three shots behind Kansas State.

   The Spartans were only eight shots behind Georgia Southern going into the final round after posting back-to-back 9-under 279s in the first two rounds. Michigan State finished up with a 1-under 287.

   Like Kansas State, Michigan State was at the Bath Regional last spring as a 10 seed, but was unable to advance to the NCAA Championship.

   Missouri also got off to a good start with a 10-under 278 and added a 7-under 281 in the second round before closing with a 2-under 286.

   The Missouri Tigers were led by Jack Lundin, a senior from Sioux Falls, S.D., who was one of the players who joined Chattanooga’s Houk in the tie for second place at 11-under. Lundin opened with a solid 5-under 67 and added a 2-under 70 in the second round before finishing up with a 4-under 68.

   Memphis, an American Athletic Conference representative, shared seventh place with another Big Ten entry in Minnesota as each landed on 18-under 841, a shot behind Michigan State and Missouri.

   The Tennessee Tigers opened with a 3-under 285 and added a 5-under 283 in the second round before finishing up with a solid 10-under 278.

   Memphis was led by Diego Lourenco, a freshman from France who matched the low individual round of the tournament with a 7-under 65 in the final round to join the foursome tied for second place, a shot behind Georgia Southern’s Jones at 11-under. Lourenco opened with a 1-under 71 before adding a 3-under 69 in the second round.

   Minnesota got it going in the second round with a 13-under 275 after opening with a 7-under 281, but the Golden Gophers struggled a little in the final round with a 2-over 290.

   It was a tough couple of days for Penn State, which finished last of the 14 teams in the field as the Nittany Lions finished at even-par 864. Even par might not be too bad in a lot of tournaments, but it didn’t get it done at Colleton River. Penn State opened with a 3-under 285 and struggled a little in the second round with a 5-over 293 before finishing up with a 2-under 286.

   Penn State got a solid showing from Jake Griffin, a junior from Kensington, Md. who closed with a sparkling 6-under 66 to finish among a trio of players tied for 10^th place with an 8-under 208 total. Griffin matched par in the opening round with a 72 before adding a 2-under 70 in the second round.

   Backing up Jones for Georgia Southern was Reece Coleman, a fifth-year player from South Africa who finished among the group tied for 13^th place with a 7-under 209 total. Coleman contributed a 5-under 67 to the Eagles’ flying start in the first round and added a 2-under 70 in the second round before matching par in the final round with a 72.

   Luke Koenig, a sophomore from Statham, Ga., finished among a trio of players tied for 19^th place with a 6-under 210 total as he contributed a 4-under 68 to Georgia Southern’s fast start and matched par in the second round with a 72 before closing with a 2-under 70.

   Hogan Ingram, a junior from Rome, Ga., gave Georgia Southern a fourth top-30 finisher as he ended up in the group tied for 29^th place with a 3-under 213 total. After opening with a 1-over 73, Ingram added a 3-under 69 before closing with a 1-under 71.

   Rounding out the Georgia Southern lineup was Hayden Carner, a senior from Birmingham, Ala. who finished among the group tied for 50^th place with a 2-over 218 total. After matching par in the opening round with a 72, Carner signed for a solid 3-under 69 in the second round before finishing up with a 5-over 77.

   Joining Chattanooga’s Houk, Memphis’ Lourenco and Missouri’s Lundin in the tie for second place at 11-under was Cincinnati’s Ryan Ford, a sophomore from Westfield, Ind. who was right with Georgia Southern’s Jones at 9-under going into the final round after Ford added a 68 in the second round to his opening round of 5-under 67. Ford finished up with a 2-under 70.

   Minnesota’s Cormac Sharpe, a sophomore from Scotland, was a shot behind the quartet tied for second place as he finished alone in sixth place with a 10-under 206 total. Sharpe carded three rounds in the 60s as he signed for back-to-back 69s in the final two rounds after opening with a 4-under 68.

   Dalton Chuba, a junior home boy from Chattanooga, Tenn., gave Chattanooga a second player in the top seven as he landed in a tie for seventh place with Kansas State’s Cooper Schultz, a junior from Andover, Kan., and Iowa State’s Luke Gutschewski, a junior from Elkhorn, Neb., each ending up with a 9-under 207 total.

   Chuba matched the low individual round of the tournament with a sizzling 7-under 65 in the final round. He had struggled to a 2-over 74 in the opening round before adding a 4-under 68 in the second round. Schultz added a 3-under 69 in the second round to his opening-round 71 before closing with a solid 5-under 67.

   If Gutschewski’s name sounds vaguely familiar, it’s because he was one of the four co-medalists in qualifying for match play in the U.S. Amateur at Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, N.J. in 2022. Gutschewski opened with a 5-under 67 at Colleton River, matched par in the second round with a 72 and then finished up with a 4-under 68.

   Joining Penn State’s Griffin in the tie for 10^th place at 8-under were Indiana’s Drew Salyers, a senior from Howard, Ohio, and Michigan State’s Drew Hackett, a graduate student from Charlotte, N.C.

   Salyers added a 2-under 70 in the second round to his opening-round 71 before finishing strong with a 5-under 67. Salyers, competing as an individual, finished in a tie for fourth place with Chattanooga’s Houk in last spring’s Auburn Regional, which earned Salyers a trip to the NCAA Championship at Grayhawk.

   Hackett got off to a great start, following up an opening round of 5-under 67 with a 69 in the second round before matching par in the final round with a 72.

   Backing up Griffin for Penn State were graduate student Jimmy Meyers, a member of Pittsburgh Central Catholic’s 2018 PIAA Class AAA championship team, and Zach Smith, a freshman from Canada, as they both landed among the group tied for 50^th place at 2-over 218.

   After opening with a 75, Meyers recorded a 2-under 70 in the second round before closing with a 1-over 73. Smith was the low Lion in the opening round with a 4-under 68, but struggled a little in the second round with a 77 before finishing up with a 1-over 73.

   Graduate student Patrick Sheehan, the 2018 District One Class AAA champion as a senior at Central Bucks East, finished in the group tied for 59^th place with a 4-over 220 total. Sheehan started off with a solid 2-under 70 in the opening round and added a 76 in the second round before closing with a 2-over 74.

   Rounding out the Penn State lineup was sophomore Billy Pabst Jr., the runnerup in the PIAA Class AAA Championship as a senior at North Pocono in 2021 who finished in 79^th place with a 229 total. Pabst never got it going at Colleton River as he added a 78 in the second round to his opening round of 4-over 76 before finishing up with a 75.

   Robby O’Regan, a freshman from Northbrook, Ill., competed as an individual for Penn State, but, like Pabst, couldn’t solve the Nicklaus Course at Colleton River. O’Regan didn’t submit a card in the opening round, posted a 3-over 75 in the second round and closed with a 79.