Men’s golf secures third straight podium finish

Springer wins second event of season, earning Sun Belt Men’s Golfer of the Week honor

For the second straight event, the Troy men’s golf team took second place. The No. 52 Trojans punctuated spring break with another solid finish, beating No. 16 UNLV by 23 strokes at the All-American Intercollegiate.

Jake Springer, who won Sun Belt Men’s Golfer of the Week for his performance, won the event with a seven-under mark. He’s the first Trojan since 2007 to win two events in a season after he won the Everett Buick GMC Classic in the fall.

“This group right now is doing something pretty special,” head coach Clay Bounds said to Troy Athletics. “We have only lost to two teams in our last three tournaments and have had two individual victories.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the way these guys are handling everything that’s being thrown at them. We’ve battled tough weather, tough golf courses and tough teams, and our guys have stepped up in the best way.”

During the invitational, Springer had the third-fewest bogeys. Only Houston’s Chi Chun Chen and Troy golfer Lee Poppell had less.

“Jake Springer is one of those special players who leads on and off the golf course,” Bounds said. “I’m so proud of him for getting his second career victory this week.”

Springer was locked in a battle for first place with Chen during the second round of the tournament. A pivotal birdie putt on the 16th hole gave him a lead he wouldn’t relinquish.

Right behind Springer for the Trojans was Brantley Scott, who is ranked No. 30 in the country. Scott finished tied for fourth place, shooting three-under par with 14 birdies.

“Big congrats to Brantley for finishing inside of the top four,” Bounds said. “He’s been playing great golf and continued the trend this week.”

Nick Fowlkes tied for 17th place with a +1 performance, while Poppell and Pablo Garcia rounded out Troy’s performance both tied for 21st place.

The Trojans will try to continue their three-event streak of top-two finishes alive on Apr. 7 and 8 at the Old Corkscrew Intercollegiate in Estero, Florida.