STATESBORO, Ga. – Senior JJ Grey shot a final round 70 to finish at 12-under par and just miss a playoff Sunday at the Schenkel Invitational at Forest Heights Country Club. Grey led the Panthers to a sixth place finish, ahead of four teams ranked in the top 50 in the country.
Grey’s 204 three-round tournament score is tied for the fifth-lowest mark in school history. It marked the senior’s third third-place finish of the year and fourth top 10.
Georgia State’s three-round team score of 22-under, 842, is the fifth-lowest three-round score in program history. The Panthers finished just three strokes out of third in a field that featured eight teams in the top 50 in the country.
“The guys are obviously disappointed that we were not able to hold on to the lead, but they are also proud to know that they can compete with some of the best teams in the country,” head coach Joe Inman said. “We needed a test like this before NCAA Regional play. It is only going to make us stronger.”
No. 15 Vanderbilt closed strong with a 19-under 269 to earn the tournament win at 41-under par. No. 10 Wake Forest finished second at 31-under par, with No. 32 Kentucky and No. 40 NC State finishing tied for third at 25-under. No. 4 Auburn rounded out the top five at 23-under, one stroke ahead of the Panthers.
Sophomore Max Herrmann shot a final round 72 to finish the event tied for 15th at 7-under par. Twin brother Alexander Herrmann added a final round 74 to sit at 4-under, tied for 25th.
Freshman Nick Budd finished tied for 51st at 1-over par following a final round 73. Junior Nathan Mallonee rounded out the line-up with an 80 on Sunday to finish alone in 79th place.
Auburn’s Michael Johnson, ranked No. 7 in the country, won medalist honors in a playoff against Vanderbilt’s Will Gordon who is ranked No. 37 in the country on the second playoff hole. The pair finished the event at 13-under par. Grey finished tied with Wake Forest’s Cameron Young for third at 12-under par. North Carolina’s Ben Griffin rounded out the top five at 11-under.
Grey finished ahead of seven golfers ranked in the top 100.