The Georgia State men’s golf team captured it first Sun Belt Conference title Tuesday as sophomore J.J. Grey birdied on the 18th-hole to put the Panthers one stroke ahead and claim the title at the Great Bear Golf Club in Saucier, Miss.
The Panthers shot a 288 in the final round and were 1-under-par for the tournament with a total score of 863. Grey’s birdie allowed the Panthers to hold off South Alabama, who finished one stroke behind the Panthers, and send Georgia State to the NCAA Tournament Regionals.
“I am so happy for these players,” said Head Coach Joe Inman to Georgia State Athletics. “They’ve worked so hard, and we have come close the last two years. This is the culmination of years of hard work and I just couldn’t be more pleased.”
Texas State’s Stuart Smallwood took the individual win with final round 8-under-par and 72 for the tournament.
It was the dynamic duo of Grey and Junior Damon Stephenson who took control of the tournament. Stephenson led the Panthers with a score of 211 and a final round 69, which was good enough to tie him for second overall in the tournament.
Grey posted a score of 213 and a final round of 72, which tied him for fifth overall in the tournament.
Grey’s two-putt on the eighteenth hole secured the Panther’s seventh conference championship in school history.
Grey and Stephenson were both named to the Sun Belt All-Tournament Team. Grey received the honor last season as a freshman.
The supporting cast pushed the Panthers over the top with solid performances from junior Davin White and senior Tyler Gruca.
White finished tied for 14 after his final round of 71 and total score of 220. Gruca finished tied for 19 with a score 221 and 75 in the final round.
The win was foreshadowed as the Panthers went into the tournament winning their last two tournaments.
The Sun Belt Championship Tournament win is the third consecutive for the Panthers, which is a school record and fourth of the season. The Panthers won the Georgia State-hosted Autotrader.com Collegiate Classic back on Oct. 15, 2013.
The Panthers broke into the win column again with the victory at the Furman Intercollegiate on March 30, 2014 and then followed that victory up with a win in the Irish Creek Intercollegiate on April 6, 2014.
Now, the Panthers look to the NCAA Tournament Regionals as their next stepping stone on their road to a potential national championship.
The NCAA Tournament Regionals are May 15-17 with six possible destinations the Panthers. The top five in regionals move on to the NCAA Championship.
The NCAA men’s golf champion will be held May 23-28 at Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson, Kan.
