OPELIKA, Ala. – Shooting the lowest round of the year, a 7-under 281, the Georgia State men’s golf team finished in second-place on Tuesday at the Tiger Invitational presented by Jason Dufner at Grand National Golf Club.
After a two-hour rain delay, the Panthers came out firing led by senior Alex Herrmann who finished the three-day event with a 5-under 67 to place tied for fourth at 7-under. Herrmann made eight birdies during the final round to propel the Panthers from a tie for fifth to a second-place result in a strong 17-team field.
Georgia State finished the tournament at even par, falling only to host Auburn which is ranked No. 9 in the country. The Tigers shot a remarkable 25-under to take the team title following a final round 275. The Panthers finished one-stroke ahead of Mississippi State and Kennesaw State which tied for third at 1-over par. Maryland came in fifth at 2-over par, with No. 31 Missouri placing sixth at 5-over par.
“As I said yesterday, every round this spring we have continued to improve and today was no different,” head coach Chad Wilson said. “Even after the rain delay, our guys wanted to go out and play. Despite some of our early season results, this group knows that they have the talent to compete with anyone in the country and today they proved it.”
Sophomore Josh Edgar added a 2-under 70 to finish tied for 62nd at 9-over par, while junior Nathan Williams shot a final round 71 to tie for 56th at 8-over par.
Juniors Severin Soller and Nick Budd tied for 38th at 5-over par for the 54-hole event. Soller made four birdies during the final round, but was tripped up by back-to-back double bogeys on the front nine en route to a 73. Budd, who entered the final round at even par shot a final round 77.
Georgia State made its fourth-straight appearance in the event hosted by Auburn, finishing in the top five now all four years.
Maryland’s David Kocher shot a final round 3-under 69 to earn low medalist honors by one-stroke at 11-under par. Auburn’s Ben Schlottman finished in second-place at 10-under par, with teammate Ryan Knop coming in third at 8-under par. Mississippi State’s Taylor Grant tied with Alex Herrmann for fourth at 7-under par.
Georgia State will return to the course for the Schenkel Invitational hosted by Georgia Southern March 16-18, at Forest Heights Golf Club.