MOBILE, Ala. – The Valdosta State men's golf team fired a final round 297 and finished sixth at the 2022 Gulf South Conference Championship at Magnolia Grove Crossings Golf Course. The Blazers carded a 54-hole score of 885 on the par 72, 7,212-yard course.
No. 3-ranked Lee won its first GSC Men's Golf Championship with a blistering 19-under for the championship with an 845 score, while No. 13 West Florida finished second at 1-under 863. No. 29 West Georgia finished third at 874, followed by No. 4 Christian Brothers (881) and Shorter rounded out the top five with an 882 score.
VSU was sixth at 885, followed by a tie for seventh between Union and No. 31 Delta State at 898, while Mississippi College was ninth at 900 and Montevallo was tenth at 905.
Individually, UWF's Elias Haavisto won medalist honors as he became just the fifth player in the championship's 50-year to win back-to-back titles. Lee had the next five players as No. 38 Oliver Lewis-Perkins and No. 2 Beck Burnette finished 4-under each at 212, while No. 18 Connor Pollman finished 3-under 213 for fourth, while Dalton Chuba and West Florida's No. 39 Blake Kollin finished tied for fifth with a 2-under 214.
Blazer graduate student Wesley Hanson finished tied for eighth with an even par 216 to place the team on rounds of 70, 70 and 76. Junior Chase Weathers finished tied for 18th with a 221 score on rounds of 77, 70 and 74, while senior Gage Smith tied for 27th with a 225 score after carding rounds of 80, 75 and 70. Sophomore Ryan Pollman finished tied for 41st with a 232 score (74-81-77) and redshirt freshman Brandon Cho tied for 43rd with a 233 score on rounds of 78, 74 and 81.
VSU now will await to see if it earned a bid to the NCAA South/Southeast Regional, scheduled for May 5-7 at Kinderlou Forest Golf Club in Valdosta. The NCAA Division II Men's Golf Championship field will be announced on Friday, Apr. 22 on NCAA.com.
