Men’s golf earns NCAA Regional Berth

Troy Athletics photo

Brantley Scott follows through on a swing.

The Troy men’s golf team competed in the Sun Belt Championship at the Annandale Golf Club last week. Although the Trojans failed to take home the conference title, Troy secured an NCAA Regionals berth and multiple Sun Belt Conference accolades.

Head coach Clay Bounds won Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year, while Jake Springer and Brantley Scott were named First Team All-Sun Belt. Nick Fowlkes was named Third Team All-Sun Belt.

The Trojans had to battle in order to make it into match play. With only the top-four teams advancing to the semifinals, Troy found itself right above the cutline in the final round.

A strong performance of 19 birdies and an eagle led the team to finish the final round 7-under par, clinching a spot in match play. A score of 858 was just barely enough to get the fourth spot over James Madison, who scored 862.

Heading into match play, the Trojans would take on the top-seeded Coastal Carolina Chanticleers, while second and third seeds Arkansas State and Georgia Southern would clash as well.

The Trojans fell short of Coastal Carolina in a final score of 3-2 on Thursday.  Scott and Lee Poppell were both able to get individual wins for Troy, but it was not enough to advance to the championship round.

While Pablo Garcia and Springer both fell shy of their Chanticleer opponents, it was Troy’s Fowlkes who was in a battle with Coastal Carolina’s Drew Sykes. Fowlkes had pounced to a two-hole advantage. Sykes managed to rally in the back half, winning six of the final eight holes.

The Chanticleers advanced to the championship round and took down Arkansas State to be crowned Sun Belt Champions.

Troy currently ranks No. 51 in the nation, which will earn the team a place in the NCAA Men’s Golf Regionals. The Trojans will know where they are playing on April 30 during the selection show, aired on the Golf Channel.

The NCAA Regionals take place May 12-14. The host sites for the round are Auburn, Alabama, Tallahassee, Florida, Amherst, Virginia, Bremerton, Washington, Reno, Nevada and Urbana, Illinois.