Led by sophomore Damon Stephenson’s second place finish, Georgia State finished second of four teams at the Jaguar Shootout on Saturday at Forest Hills Country Club. The Panthers added the last minute event looking to increase their chances of receiving an at-large berth to the NCAA Regionals.
Stephenson scored his best performance of the season, finishing at even par, four strokes off the lead. It was Stephenson’s second top five finish of the year.
“We trailed Augusta State by just one-stroke after the first round, but they put together an impressive second round on their home course that we were just not able to match,” commented head coach Joe Inman. “I am really proud of the way the guys played. We will now sit and wait to see if we are selected for the postseason.”
Sophomore Davin White rebounded from a first round 78 to shoot 71 in the second round to finish the day at 5-over, tied for seventh place. Junior Tyler Gruca finished at 6-over and alone in 10th while classmate Grant Cagle finished at 7-over. Freshman Jonathan Grey finished tied for 13th and junior Victor Lavin, competing as an individual, tied for 11th at 7-over.
Georgia State will wait to hear if it has made one of the six NCAA Regional sites, which takes place May 16-18. If the Panthers do not advance as a team, it is expected the Jonathan Grey, based on his ranking, will qualify as an individual for the event.