VALDOSTA, Ga.  – The Valdosta State men's golf team fired a final round 305 to finish sixth at the 2024 Gulf South Conference Championship on the par 72, 7,377-yard Kinderlou Forest Golf Club in Valdosta.  
 
West Florida won the ten-team tournament with a 54-hole score of 869, while Lee was second at 882, followed by Union (884), Montevallo (892) and Shorter was fifth at 902.  The Blazers finished with a score of 905 (294-306-305), while West Georgia was seventh (912), followed by Delta State (916), Mississippi College (931) and Christian Brothers finished tenth at 958. 
 
Individually, West Florida's Per Ekelund won the tournament with an even par 216 (72-70-74), edging both Eric Boutwell and Harrison Hughston both of Montevallo by one stroke.  Lee's Oliver Lewis-Perkins was fourth at 218, while Union's Gray Campbell finished fifth at 219.  
 
Blazer junior Brandon Cho tied for sixth with a 220 score on rounds of 72, 74 and 74, while freshman Alexander Nilehn finished tied for 18^th at 227 (72-77-78).  Fellow freshman Adam Waller tied for 23^rd with a 229 score (75, 78, 76), while junior Chase Long finished 26^th at 230 (75, 78, 77) and sophomore Ty Folsom finished 31st at 233 (76, 77, 80) in the 49-player field.  
 
With the Blazers finishing better than West Georgia, Valdosta State won the team-point in the Red Clay Rivalry series for the sport and moved to 5-4 this year in the series with baseball and softball remaining this weekend in Carrollton, Ga.  A school will need to win two of the three games in baseball or softball to claim a point in the series.  VSU won the inaugural Red Clay Rivalry Series two years ago, while UWG won last year.