KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. – Led by a final round 3-under 69 from sophomore Nathan Mallonee, the Georgia State men’s golf team finished second on Sunday, September 14th, 2014 at The Invitational at The Ocean Course on Kiawah Island. Mallonee finished tied for eighth, the second-best finish of his young career.
Mallonee finished at 2-under par and as one of just 10 golfers in the 84-player field to finish at par or better.
Georgia State, which entered the season receiving votes in the preseason coaches poll, shot a final round 5-over 293, tied for the third lowest round of the day. The Panthers finished the event at 13-over par.
“This is a great start to the season,” head coach Joe Inman said. “The last couple of years, we have struggled in the first event of the season, but our guys came in well prepared after many of them had strong summers. This is the type of result that we needed and we can use it as a stepping-stone for when we return to the course in three weeks.
“I was really proud of the way Nathan played. He stepped up with a great round today when we needed it. I challenged him before the summer started to get better and he stepped up and accepted the challenge. I am happy for him to see a great result from his hard work.”
Senior Damon Stephenson added a 1-over 73 on Sunday to finish at 1-over par for the tournament. He tied for 11th after making three birdies during the final round.
Freshman Max Hermann added a 2-over 74 to finish tied for 25th in his collegiate debut. The German finished 8-over for the event and made four birdies during the final round.
Junior J.J. Grey, competing as an individual, shot a final round 2-over 74 to finish the tournament at 3-over and tied for 14th.
Georgia State will return to the course in three weeks on Sunday, October 5th, 2014, traveling to host Alabama for the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate in Vestavia Hills, Ala. The Crimson Tide are the two-time defending national champions.