MIRAMAR BEACH, Fla. – With a clutch 12-foot putt on the 18th hole, junior Alex Herrmann clinched his match to give Georgia State a 3-2 win over Georgia Southern and the Sun Belt Conference Men’s Golf Championship on Tuesday afternoon.
The Panthers won their eighth conference championship overall and second Sun Belt title since 2014. Georgia State will now return to NCAA Regional play for a fourth-straight year.
Herrmann clinched the final point to earn a 1up win over Jake Storey after trailing by two with just five holes to play.
“I can’t explain how incredibly happy I am for this team,” head coach Joe Inman said. “They have worked hard all year and it is great that they get to be called conference champions. We are excited about this, but we will get right back to work. Our goal from the start of the year was to get back to the NCAA Championship and now this is possible.”
Sophomore Nathan Williams got the Panthers on the board first with a 3&1 win over Cody O’Toole. Williams never trailed in his match and led by as many as four after the 10th hole.
Sophomore Nick Budd followed with a 3&1 win over Brett Barron to give GSU a 2-0 lead. Budd trailed for the first 11 holes before making it all square through 12.
After trailing by as many as three, junior Max Herrmann fought back to tie Archer Price on the 18th hole before losing in extra holes as the Eagles earned their first point.
Alex Herrmann then clinched the final point as Nathan Mallonee’s match with Steven Fisk went unfinished. With Fisk leading, he was awarded the win.
Georgia State had opened the day with a 4-1 win over No. 1 seed Troy in the semifinals.
Since 1998, Georgia State has finished in the top three in the conference tournament all but three times with eight titles and eight second-place finishes.
Georgia State will earn the Sun Belt’s automatic bid and garner a spot into NCAA Regional play which will be played May 15-17 at six national sites. The NCAA Selection Show is scheduled for May 4 at Noon ET live on The Golf Channel. The NCAA championship is scheduled for May 26-31 at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Ill.