Spartans Finish 4th at Regionals; Advance to Nationals
7/27/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
May 9, 2007
Savannah, Ga. - The USC Upstate men's golf team, in just its second season of competition after a 14-year hiatus, finished fourth in the Southeast Regional Wednesday at the Savannah Quarters Golf Club and qualified for the NCAA National Championships.
Upstate entered the third and final round of the tournament in third place. Georgia College & State University jumped Upstate with a final round 304 to take third place, but the 311 shot by the Spartans was good enough to finish fourth and secure a Nationals bid. Columbus State earned the automatic bid to Nationals after finishing with a 303-304-293=900 total. The Southeast Regional was part of the Atlantic/Southeast Super Regional played at the 7,066-yard, par 72 Savannah Quarters Golf Club. Belmont Abbey shot a 955 total to earn the Atlantic Regional automatic bid.
The two regionals were then combined with three at-large selections going to the next three best scores. The three at-large bids all came from the Southeast Regional. Lander, which finished second in the regional with a 918 total, GCSU, which finished third with a 929 total, and Upstate, which shot a 932 total, all received at-large bids. The Division II National Championships will be held May 22-25 in Allendale, Mich.
Three-time defending national champion USC Aiken shot a three-round 935 total to finish fifth. The Pacers were followed by Armstrong Atlantic State (947), Presbyterian (952), and North Greenville (1015).
Individually, Upstate's Baxter Culler entered the final round with a one-stroke lead in the regional. He shot a final round 77 to finish with a 77-72-77=226 (+10) total to finish tied for fourth. Lander's Jake Amos won the individual title with a 7-over-par, 75-76-72=223 total. Columbus State's Andrew Georgiou and Christian Ries each finished with an 8-over-par 224 total to finish tied for second.
Michael Lawrence capped a solid tournament, finishing 15th individually for Upstate with an 80-76-77=233 total. Josh Gallman was 23rd with an 81-79-77=233 total. Ian Schneider finished tied for 27th with an 80-81-80=241 total, while Tyler Tucker shot an 84-76-82=242 total to finish tied for 29th.
Southeast Regional Team Scores
1. Columbus State 303-304-293=900; 2. Lander 313-302-303=918; 4. Georgia College & State 323-302-304=929; 4. USC Upstate 318-303-311=932; 5. USC Aiken 320-306-309=935; 6. Armstrong Atlantic State 320-312-315=947; 7. Presbyterian 318-320-314=952; 8. North Greenville 351-331-333=1015.
USC Upstate Scores
1. Baxter Culler 77-72-77=226 (+10); 15. Michael Lawrence 80-76-77=233 (+17); 23. Josh Gallman 81-79-77=237; 27. Ian Schneider 80-81-80=241 (+25); T29. Tyler Tucker 84-76-82=242 (+26).
