The Georgia Bulldogs won their first SEC Championship since 2010, taking the 2016 title at Sea Island Golf Club. Lee McCoy, a senior from Clarkesville, captured the individual title, also the first for the Bulldogs since 2010.
The Bulldogs finished the tournament with a 13-over 853 total on the par-70 Seaside course, three shots ahead of runner-up Texas A&M. Florida and Arkansas tied for third at 861.
Georgia and Kentucky battled for the lead over the first two rounds, with the teams tied after 18 holes and Kentucky two ahead going to the final day. But the Bulldogs closed with a 5-over 285, the second lowest team score of the final round, while Kentucky shot 302 and fell to seventh place.
Both Georgia and Kentucky shot 3-under 277 in the first round, the only under par team scores for the tournament. McCoy and Peachtree Corners sophomore Zach Healy opened with scores of 68 and junior Greyson Sigg of Augusta added a 69. Valdosta senior Sepp Straka contributed a 72.
The Bulldogs fell two shots behind Kentucky after 36 holes, shooting 11-over 291 in the second round. McCoy matched par at 70 to take the individual lead, while freshman Tye Waller had the second low team score at 72. Also counting was a 75 by Sigg and a 76 by Healy.
McCoy claimed the individual title with a final round 69, giving him a 3-under 207 total, two strokes ahead of the runner-up. Straka recovered from a poor second round to shoot 71, with Sigg matching that score. Waller chipped in with a 74, with Healy’s 76 not counting.
Sigg finished tied for 10th at 215 with Healy T18 at 218. Waller, who shot 221, and Straka both had two of their three rounds count.
The victory was the seventh career title for McCoy, who closed out his victory by holing a 25-footer for birdie on the 54th hole. It was Georgia’s 29th SEC Championship title, six of which have come at Sea Island GC. Eight of Georgia’s titles have come under head coach Chris Haack.
Georgia will play in one of six NCAA Regionals May 16-18, with the NCAA Championship set for May 27-June 1 in Eugene, Ore.
Kennesaw State won the Atlantic Sun Championship for a second straight, scoring a 7-stroke victory at the Legends at Chateau Elan. The Owls led by six after an opening score of 5-under 283, and held on with totals of 291 and 290 the next two days for an even par total of 864.
All five Kennesaw golfers finished tied for 12th for better, with all five contributing at least two counting scores. Sophomore Fredrik Nilehn was one of three players under par in the opening round with a 70, and added a 72 the final day to place third at even par 216.
Chris Guglielmo, a junior from Cumming, closed with scores of 72 and a team-best 70 in the third round and tied for fourth at 217. Freshman Jake Fendt, also from Cumming, shot 71-74-74 and tied for eighth at 219. Wyatt Larkin, a sophomore from Morganton, shot 69 the first day and contributed a final round 74 to tie for 12th at 220 with junior Teremoana Beaucousin, who opened with scores of 73 and 71.
Augusta easily won the Mid-Eastern title for the second straight year, scoring a runaway 33-shot victory at Crosswinds in Savannah. The Jaguars’ starters finished first, second, third, fourth and tied for fifth, with senior Robin Petersson earning medalist honors.
The Jaguars posted scores of 284-280-270 for a 30-under 834 total. Augusta led by just three shots after the opening round, but expanded its lead to 14 after 36 holes before shooting 18-under the final day to finish 72 strokes ahead of the third place team.
Petersson shot 69-67-69 for an 11-under 205 total, four ahead of sophomore Broc Everett, who closed with a 64 to take second at 209. Junior Jake Marriott was third at 210, with senior Maverick Antcliff firing a final round 66 to take fourth at 213. Junior Emmanuel Kountakis of Augusta shot even par 216 to tie for fifth.
Georgia State won the stroke play portion of the Sun Belt Championship at Sandestin Resort’s Raven course to earn a spot in match play, but lost in the finals after an overwhelming semifinal victory.
The Panthers led by six strokes after the first round, by six after 36 holes and finished six ahead of runner-up Troy with a 4-under 848 total for 54 holes, posting scores of 282-279-287. But after sweeping past No. 4 South Alabama 4-0-1 in the semifinals, Georgia State lost 3-2 to Troy in the title match.
In the semifinals, the Panthers got big wins from sophomore brothers Max and Alex Herrmann by scores of 4&2 and 3&2, Lexington junior Nathan Mallonee (3&2) and senior J.J. Grey, the team’s No. 1 (6&5). Woodstock freshman Nick Budd halved his match.
In the finals, Grey won big (6&5 again), but Mallonee lost 5&3 and Budd dropped a 2&1 decision in the opening match. Both matches involving the Herrmann brothers went down to the wire, with Max winning 1-up but Alex lost on the 19th hole in the decisive match.
Max Herrmann and Grey shared medalist honors at 3-under 210, with Herrmann closing with scores of 70 and 67 and Grey shooting 65-70 the first two rounds. Herrmann won the individual championship in a playoff.
After a non-counting first round, Alex Herrmann shot 64 the next day and closed with a 72 to tie for eighth at 214. Budd opened with a 71 and tied for 24th at 220, with Mallonee T32 at 222.
Georgia Southern finished last in the 11-team Sun Belt tournament, 41 shots behind Georgia State at 889. Sophomore Archer Price tied for 12th at 215, shooting 69-71 the first two rounds. In his final round for the Eagles, Griffin senior Henry Mabbett shot a team best 73.
Georgia Tech placed fourth in the ACC Championship hosted by North Carolina State. The Yellow Jackets played consistently with scores of 287-288-289 for an even par 864 total, 25 shots behind Clemson. Tech trailed by 14 after 18 holes and by 18 after 36.
Sophomore Chris Petefish tied for seventh at 4-under 212, shooting 69-74-69. Junior Vince Whaley was T25 at 218, followed by Columbus sophomore James Clark (T29, 219), Acworth junior Michael Hines (T31, 220) and Albany sophomore Jacob Joiner (T39, 223). All five Tech players had at least one under-par round.
Both Georgia Tech and Georgia State are in line to get bids to NCAA Regionals on May 5, joining Georgia, Kennesaw State and Augusta in the field. The Regionals will be played May 18-20 at six sites, with the NCAA Championship at Eugene (Ore.) CC May 27-June 1.
In late Spring regular season events:
Augusta placed third and Georgia was fourth in the annual 3M Invitational hosted by the Jaguars at Forest Hills. Augusta led Illinois and Texas by three shots after 36 holes with scores of 275 and 283, but the Jaguars shot 288 final day to finish nine behind Illinois and six behind Texas with an 18-under 846 total.
Petersson led Augusta, tying for fourth at 8-under 208. Everett tied for 13th at 213 and Antcliff was T16 at 214 after opening with a 67.
McCoy was low for the Bulldogs, placing seventh at 207 with scores of 69-70-70. Straka shot a final round 67 to take 11th at 211, with Healy T20 at 215 and Sigg T35 at 219.
Kennesaw State was ninth at Forest Hills with an 870 total. Beaucousin tied for 25th at 216, with Guglielmo T27 at 217 after a final round 69. Larkin had the team’s low score – a 67 – in the opening round.
The Owls closed out the regular season with a second place finish in the Irish Creek Collegiate in Charlotte, four shots behind Wake Forest at 7-over 859. Kennesaw led by three after opening with a 284, and remained one ahead going to the final round after a 283.
Guglielmo tied for 10th at 71-69-74—214, with Nilehn shooting three straight scores of 72 to tie for 12th at 216 with Larkin, who opened with a 70. Fendt shot 70-72 the last two rounds and was T19 at 218, with his 72 the team’s low score in the third round.
In its final two regular season events, Georgia Tech tied for second behind the host team in the Clemson Invitational, and tied for third in an event in Princeton, N.J.
The Yellow Jackets posted a score of 872 at Clemson, 11 shots behind the Tigers. Whaley earned medalist honors at 208 with scores of 70-67-71, finishing two ahead of the runner-up. Clark tied for seventh at 217, with Hines opening with scores of 73-70 before struggling in the final round.
Whaley shot 74-68—142 to tie for ninth at Princeton, with Tech one shot out of second with a 578 total, but 35 behind Duke’s winning score. Joiner and Petefish tied for 12th at 143.
Georgia State was fourth in its regular season finale in Mississippi with a score of 880 at Old Waverly. Mallonee tied for 12th at 219, with Grey T17 at 221 and Budd T22 at 222.