Men’s golf squares off against tough competition

The Troy men’s golf team tied for third place at the Old Waverly Collegiate Championship hosted by Mississippi State this week.

The third-place finish comes behind No. 3 Ole Miss and No. 15 Alabama. The Trojans were just one shot off of the Crimson Tide. No. 32 Mississippi State was the team knotted up for third with No. 53 Troy.

Individually, Brantley Scott had a strong showing, finishing in a tie for 10th place at 2-under par. The performance comes after returning from illness, which caused him to miss the tournament the week prior.

Pablo Gracia rallied on Tuesday, as he birdied two of the first four holes on the day. A score of 71 launched him 12 spots higher in the leaderboard to finish in a tie for 15th place with an even-par score.

Lee Poppell also came away with a top-20 finish. A pair of 70s in day one had put him in a solid place, but a 78 dropped him some to 19th. The wind played a major factor in the final day of action.

The third-place team finish for Troy comes against a field of 13. This field included Sun Belt Conference foes Southern Miss, ULM and South Alabama. Those three finished ninth, 11th and 12th, respectively.

Multiple power conference schools were left behind the Trojans, including Cincinnati, Missouri and Kansas State. Troy has now finished in the top three in six of its 10 competitions this season.

The Trojans have now completed their regular season play for the year. The team now sets its sights on the Sun Belt Championship, where they have high expectations, entering as the top seed in the conference. The tournament will begin on Monday, Apr. 21 and conclude on Apr. 24 at the Annandale Golf Club in Madison, Mississippi.