CASHIERS, N.C. – Four Eagles finished in the top-10, and Georgia Southern men’s golf held off South Carolina by a stroke to successfully defend its J.T. Poston Invitational title Monday at the Country Club of Sapphire Valley.
Georgia Southern set a 54-hole team tournament record with a 47-under par 805 over the two-day event. The score also sets the school record for team score in a 54-hole event, beating the previous mark by 13 strokes.
Sophomore Mason Williams (-13) tied for second for his best career finish, and senior Brett Barron (-10) tied for fourth. Sophomore Ben Carr (-9) tied for seventh, and senior Jake Maples (-8) placed ninth.
The Eagles had an eight-shot lead over VCU and were 12 ahead of South Carolina after the first round, and second-round play was suspended yesterday afternoon because of heavy rain. The teams got back at it this morning, and South Carolina finished the second round with a tournament record 264, besting the Eagles’ mark of 265 from the first round, to trim the margin to three strokes heading into the third round.
Carr and Williams shot 67, Barron added a 68 and sophomore Colin Bowles fired a 71 to make up the counters in the second round. Carr notched a 66, while Maples, Barron and Williams all shot 67 in the third round to seal the win. The Eagles combined to roll in 63 birdies in the tournament.