VESTAVIA HILLS, AL. – The Georgia State golf team followed up a strong second round with an even better third round to finish tied for 10th at the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate on Tuesday, October 8th,2014. The Panthers shot a final round 3-over 283, tied for the fifth-lowest round of the day as only one team broke par.
The Panthers had a pair of under par rounds, led by sophomore Nathan Mallonee who shot a 2-under 68. Freshman Alexander Herrmann, making his collegiate debut this week added a 1-under 69.
The field included seven top 50 teams playing the difficult Old Overton Club. Only the two-time defending nation champion and host Alabama Crimson Tide finished under par, winning the event for the third year in a row.
Georgia State entered the event ranked No. 43 in the country by Golfweek and finished tied with Ole Miss and UTSA at 33-over par.
“I am really proud of the way our guys fought back over the final two rounds,” head coach Joe Inman said. “After a tough opening round, they could have easily checked-out, however, that is not in the DNA of this team. They grinded it out, made some birdies and gave ourselves some momentum heading into next week.”
Georgia State put together the fifth-best score over the last two rounds, topping the likes of Georgia Tech, Arkansas, Texas A&M and Charlotte over the final 36 holes.
Junior J.J. Grey shot a final round 5-over 75 to finish at 8-over and tied for 27th as the top Panther. Grey made a pair of birdies during the final round.
Mallonee tied for 42nd following his 2-under performance that left him 12-over for the 54-hole event. The sophomore had a stretch of four birdies over five holes at the turn.
Davin White finished at 14-over following a final round 1-over 71 that included three birdies. The senior finished tied for 46th.
Herrmann’s final round performance included five birdies has he moved into a tie for 55th at 18-over. He played the final two rounds of the tournament at even par.
Senior Damon Stephenson rounded out the line-up tying with Herrmann for 55th. Stephenson shot a final round 82 to finish at 18-over.
Host and 21st-ranked Alabama finished at 10-under par for a 13-stroke win over No. 2 Florida State which finished at 3-over par. No. 24 UNLV finished third at 9-over par, followed by No. 35 UAB in fourth at 12-over. No. 44 Arkansas rounded out the top 5 at 13-over.
Mississippi State’s Ben Wood earned low medalist honors as one of just seven golfers to break par. Wood shot a final round 64, following a second round 63 to finish at 12-under par. Florida State’s Hank Lebioda and Georgia Tech’s Ollie Schniederjans tied for second-place at 8-under par, followed by Alabama’s Robby Shelton in fourth at 5-under. Alabama’s Dru Love rounded out the top 5 at 3-under par.
Georgia State will return to action next Monday and Tuesday (October 13-14th, 2014) hosting the fourth annual AutoTrader.com Collegiate Classic at Berkeley Hills Country Club in Duluth. The two-day, 54-hole event is free and open to the public.