Georgia Southern, Georgia State and Augusta all scored victories to highlight Fall schedules for the state’s college golf teams.
Georgia Southern opened its Fall schedule with a win in the Kiawah (S.C.) Invitational, finishing four shots ahead of host College of Charleston. The Eagles played solidly over all three rounds on the demanding Ocean Course, posting scores of 291-292-290 for a 9-over 873 total. Southern trailed Charleston by five shots heading to the final round.
Junior transfer Cody O’Toole placed 2nd in his debut for the Eagles, closing with back-to-back scores of 69 for a 4-under 212 total, one behind the winner. Freshman Steven Fisk of Stockbridge also made an auspicious first start, tying for 4th at 218 with scores of 73-71-74. Griffin senior Henry Mabbett matched the team’s low score the first day with a 72.
The Eagles followed with a 2nd place finish in the Sun Belt Preview at the Raven course at Sandestin Resort. Southern shot even par 852, 12 behind tournament champion Troy State. Fisk was low for the Eagles, tying for 7th at 1-under 212, opening with scores of 70 and 68. Mabbett tied for 21st at 218.
Georgia Southern scored a second straight runner-up finish in Mexico, ending up three shots behind Georgia State in Cabo Del Sol with a 3-under 861 total. O’ Toole and sophomore Jake Storey both tied for 6th at 3-under 213, with Storey posting three straight scores of 71. Mabbett shot a second round 69 and tied for 11th at 218.
The Eagles returned to Kiawah Island to conclude their Fall schedule, placing 6th in a rain-shortened event at Turtle Point GC. Fisk shot 72-68—140 to tie for 5th.
Georgia State was in the field for three tournaments with Georgia Southern, winning in Mexico and placing 4th in the Sun Belt Preview after a 10th place showing at the Ocean Course on Kiawah Island.
The Panthers shot 6-under 858 to win at Cabo Del Sol, posting scores of 284-286-288 to finish three in front of the Eagles. Lexington junior Nathan Mallonee matched the tournament’s best score with an opening 67 and placed third at 5-under 211. Alexander Herrmann was 8th at 215, J.J. Grey was 9th at 216, and freshman Nick Budd of Woodstock matched a team best 70 in the second round.
Grey placed 3rd at 6-under 207 in the Sun Belt Preview in Destin, with Mallonee tying for 14th at 216. Budd contributed a pair of 73s the final two rounds. The Panthers were in contention after a 279 score in the second round, but shot 14 strokes higher in the final round and finished at 4-over 856.
Mallonee and Herrmann were low for State at Kiawah, tying for 11th at 222. Herrmann was among the leaders after shooting 73-69 the first two rounds.
Augusta trailed by eight shots after the first round of the Wolfpack Intercollegiate, but shot 276 the next day – a 21-stroke improvement – to win by two over host North Carolina State. The Jaguars’ Robin Petersson earned medalist honors with a pair of 68s for a 136 total, three shots ahead of his closest pursuers.
Broc Everett shot a tournament best 66 to lead Augusta’s second round surge and placed 4th at 141. Emmanuel Kountakis, a transfer from Mercer and an Augusta area resident, contributed a 73 in the first round for the Jaguars.
Petersson earned medalist honors for a second time during the Fall, winning an event at Turtle Point on Kiawah Island that was reduced from 54 holes to 36 by rain. Petersson shot 68-66—134 to win by one.
The Jaguars tied for 3rd as a team with scores of 289-286—575, nine shots behind winner Charleston Southern.
Petersson led Augusta to a tie for 3rd in the Graeme McDowell Invitational at Shoal Creek in Birmingham, tying for 3rd individually at 3-under 213. Jake Marriott tied for 9th at 217 for the Jaguars, who finished with a team total of 871. Kountakis was T26 at 222.
The Jaguars opened their Fall schedule with a tie for 9th at 877 against a strong field in the Illini Invitational at Olympia Fields in Chicago. Maverick Antcliff was low for Augusta, tying for 18th at 215.
Georgia opened its Fall schedule at Pebble Beach, placing 2nd in the Carmel Cup despite playing without no. 1 player Lee McCoy, who was competing on the U.S. team in the Walker Cup in England. The Bulldogs shot 1-over 1081 in the event, with each team consisting of six players with five scores counting. Oklahoma State’s winning score was 1075.
Augusta junior Greyson Sigg earned medalist honors for the Bulldogs, closing with scores of 69-70 for a 2-under 214 total, winning a 3-way playoff. Sepp Straka, a senior from Valdosta, tied for 10th at 217, and sophomore Zach Healy of Peachtree Corners was T16 at 218. Redshirt freshman Jack Larkin of Atlanta shot 73-72 the first two rounds and freshman David Mackey of Watkinsville closed with a 73.
The Bulldogs were 4th in the Collegiate Challenge Cup hosted by Vanderbilt, shooting 860 to finish 11 behind the host team. McCoy, a senior from Clarkesville, shot 68 and Healy 69 as the Bulldogs shot 2-under 282 in the second round, but the team was 10-over in the other two rounds. Healy tied for 16th at 215, followed by McCoy at 216, Sigg at 217 and Straka at 218.
McCoy was 3rd and Sigg 4th in the Nike Golf Collegiate at Pumpkin Ridge in Oregon, but the Bulldogs finished well back in 6th place at 846. McCoy shot 66-70-68 for an 11-under 204 total, with Sigg next at 205 with scores of 68-68-69. Healy opened with a 68, but followed with a pair of74s,
Georgia Tech also competed in the Collegiate Challenger Cup in Nashville, tying for 7th in the 12-team field which consisted of six teams each from the ACC and SEC. The Yellow Jackets finished with an 867 total, with Vince Whaley tying for 3rd at 209 after a closing 67. Sophomore James Clark of Columbus opened with scores 71-69, but struggled in the final round.
Tech took 5th in the season-opening Carpet Capital Collegiate at The Farm outside Dalton, falling back the final two days after opening with a 2-under 286. The Jackets led after 18 holes and were in contention after 36, but closed with a 303 to end up 17 behind Auburn at 885.
Albany sophomore Jacob Joiner shot a tournament low 66 in the first round and finished first individually by a shot with a 4-under 212 total. Clark tied for 12th at 220 for the Jackets, who had to count a 78 and an 80 the final day.
The Yellow Jackets struggled in their final Fall start, placing 10th in the rain-shortened event at Kiawah Island. Joiner shot 71-71—142 to tie for 12th, but no other Tech golfer finished better than 40th.
Kennesaw State also opened its season in the Carpet Capital, placing 10th in the 15-team field. No Kennesaw golfer placed in the top 25. Division II Dalton State was 15th against the Division I field at 932, with 2015 NCAA D-II champion Sean Elliott tying for 24th at 225.
The Owls finished 4th in the Rees Jones Invitational at Haig Point on Daufuskie Island, S.C., with freshman Jake Fendt of Cumming tying for 8th at 221. Junior Chris Guglielmo of Cumming and sophomore Wyatt Larkin of Morganton tied for 17th at 227.
Guglielmo and Fendt tied for 20th in the Jerry Pate Intercollegiate in Birmingham with scores of 2-over 212. Guglielmo shot 69 in the second round and Fendt closed with a 67. The Owls shot 284 the final day to finish 10th at 868.
Mercer opened its season with a tie for 2nd in Myrtle Beach, shooting 23-under 841 to finish seven behind Jacksonville. Jerry Ren tied for 8th at 208, with Sean Smothers and freshman Dylan Deogun T10 at 209. The Bears were 11th in a 15-team field at Inverness in Toledo, with no Mercer player cracking the top 20.
Kyle Mueller of Watkinsville, who plays at Michigan, was 2nd individually at 214, three behind the medalist.