Georgia State Men s Golf Newsletter

Transcription

1 Georgia State Men s Golf Newsletter From the Coaches Desk... This is the last newsletter before the holidays. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I want to recap the UNCG Bridgestone Collegiate and where we hope to be as we start preparations for the spring season. At UNCG in October, we avoided a major catastrophe. The first-round was frosted-out, so it ended up being a 36- hole tournament. After the first-round, we were in 13th of 14 teams and on our way to oblivion in the rankings. In the second-round the team fought and believed in themselves and shot 69, 69, 71, 71 for a 280 total (-8), which was the low round of the tournament and moved us into fifth place where were received eight wins and four losses and kept our rank in the 50s and above.500. On the trip home, everyone felt good about themselves. They talked about how hard they fought, we laughed, had a good meal and when I dropped them off they were in great spirits. Not much goes on between our last tournament and when they come back from the holiday break. Right now, they are studying for exams and working diligently on golf when they can. We have such high hopes for this spring. We have three players ranked in the top-200 in GolfStat with freshman Nathan Mallonee being our highest ranked player. Our all- American from last year, J.J. Grey, had a difficult fall, but with coach Cagle s help on his mechanics, feels like he is back in the groove. If he can play anywhere near as well as he did last year this spring and the others continue at the pace that they are, we feel like we can be a really good team this year. I am so proud of their discipline and effort this first semester. Let s hope it keeps going and growing for the rest of the year. Merry Christmas and happy holidays to everyone and thank you for your emotional financial support. With the way budgets are in our world today, without ya ll, we would not be where we are now. From the Editor s Desk... What a busy fall it has been! First off, we apologize for no newsletter in November. The month literally flew by, but hopefully we can catch our fans up in preparation for the holidays. So to start off, happy holidays from all of us involved with the Georgia State men s golf team. I hope that you had a nice Thanksgiving and that you have not had to put up your golf clubs for the winter just yet. Since we last talked, our team finished up the fall season in resounding fashion, shooting a final-round 280 at the UNCG Bridgestone Collegiate Classic. That round has given us some incredible momentum heading into final exams and in to the spring. Although the fall has just ended, we hope to announce details of the 2014 AutoTrader.com Collegiate Classic soon. We already have 10 teams signed up and are in the process of securing a few more. It is going to be another great field. We still have the 2014 spring schedule to play, but we are just about done wrapping up the 2014 fall schedule and will give a sneak peak into that in the next newsletter. Finally, good luck to Jonathan Fricke as he begins the final stage of Web.com Q-School next week at the Stadium and Nicklaus Courses at PGA West in La Quinta, Calif. He is guaranteed at least conditional status on the Web.com Tour in He has worked hard and deserves a spot back on the tour. Once again, thank you to everyone who helped and supported our program this year. It has been a great year and we are looking forward to an even better 2014! In this Issue... Page 2...Fall Recap Page 2...Panthers in the Pros Update Page 3...Hayden Signing, Grey Rebounds Page Schedule Page 4... Booster Club Information Page 5...Panther Athletic Club Page Statistics Check out S for the latest Panther updates

2 Panthers Go-Low to Finish the Fall Georgia State shot the lowest round of the tournament and tied its lowest round of the fall to finish tied for fifth at the UNCG Bridges- tone Collegiate. The Panthers 8-under, 280, jumped GSU seven spots in the standings as all four counting scores were under par. The final round score tied the final round at the AutoTrader.com Collegiate Classic set a little less than two weeks ago. The round allowed the Panthers to tie No. 31 Purdue at 8-over par in the frost- shortened 36-hole event. The Panthers were led by a pair of 69s from Davin White and Nathan Mallonee, while Tyler Gruca and Jonathan J.J. Grey each shot rounds of 71. I am extremely proud of this team right now, head coach Joe In- man said. We took a punch to the gut yesterday and all of the good we had done as of late could have just been erased. However, we got up off the mat today and instead of potentially dropping spots in the rankings, we very well might finish the fall in the top-50. Stephenson finished as the top Panther with a final round 74, finishing 1-over and tied for 16th. Mallonee, competing in just his third tournament as a Panther, made seven birdies in his final round to tie for 21st. He finished the fall with back-to-back top-25 finishes. White made five birdies en route to his final round 69, also finishing the tournament at 2-over. White recorded three top-25 fin- ishes in four tournaments this fall. Gruca made three birdies in the final round to finish at 6-over and tied for 44th. Grey rebounded after a difficult first round to jump into a tie for The 2013 golf season is just about finished with some of the European Tours already starting the 2014 seasons. Here are some updates on a few former Panthers: Joel Sjoholm Joel just missed retaining his card on the European PGA Tour at Q-School last month. However, he did manage to get in one of the first tournaments of the year and will hopefully be able to take advantage of the situation. In the Hong Kong Open, Sjoholm tied for eighth, which propeled him into the Nelson Mandela Championship in South Africa. He opened play with a 2-under 68 and then shot a second round 70, beofre a third round 65 moved him up the leaderboard. If you get a chance, there was a funny piece on Europeantour.com about the Swede as he almost missed his first round tee time and played the first hole in gym shoes. Jonathan Fricke Jonathan advanced out of the first stage of Web.com Tour qualifying and then easily through stage two in Mississippi to begin final stage qualifying in California next week. Frickie will play at the Stadium and Nicklaus Courses at PGA West in La Quinta, Calif. He is guaranteed at least conditional status on the Web.com Tour in Steven Tiley Steven finished the year well on the European Challenge Tour. He earned a tie for 16th at The Foshan Open, shooting th at 10-over following a round that included four birdies. Senior Victor Lavin, competing as an individual, shot a final- round 76 to finish at 7-over and tied for 52nd. North Carolina earned a six-stroke victory following a final-round 5-under 283. Chattanooga finished second at 1-over, followed by No. 33 Memphis in third at 4-over. No. 10 Virginia Tech finished fourth with Georgia State and Purdue finishing tied for fifth. The Panthers picked up wins over the likes of No. 30 Iowa State, Washington State, Mississippi State, NC State and VCU. UNC s Henry Do and Memphis Lars van Meijel, ranked No. 15 by Golfstat, shared low medalist honors at 5-under. Meijel shot 66 on Sunday, making six birdies and no bogeys. VCU s Adam Ball, Virginia Tech s Bryce Chalkey and Chattanooga s Ewan Scott tied for third at 2-under. Panthers in the Pros Update 72. He followed that with a tie for 33rd at the National Bank of Oman Golf Classic. He finished the season with a tie for 19th at the Dubai Festival City Challenge Tour Grand Finale, shooting a second-round 65. We expect to see Steven playing more events on the Challenge Tour again in 2014 and hopefully some European PGA Tour events as well. Mark Haastrup Mark finished his season with a tie for 57th at The Foshan Open. Unfortunately, he just missed advancing out of the second stage of European PGA Tour Q-School, but should get to play in some events again in Remember to keep an eye on GeorgiaStateSports.com for weekend golf updates and news as it breaks in regards to these great former Panthers.

3 Men s Golf Signs Hayden Poole to NLI Georgia State men s golf coach Joe Inman has announced the signing of Hayden Poole to a National Letter of Intent to start playing for the Panthers next fall. The highly-touted junior golfer from Johns Creek, Ga. has an impressive resume of junior and amateur golf. Hayden is a young golfer who is continuing to improve and has a tremendous upside, Inman said. He has had some impressive performances this year. I think Hayden has the ability to have an impact on our team and be successful at the collegiate level. This year alone, Poole has earned five top-10 finishes on the Southeastern Junior Tour. He earned a win last spring at the Sanctuary Cove Junior Classic shooting and then finished fifth at the Heath Slocum Invitational in June. Poole also earned a sixth place finish at the Dogwood Junior Invitational and finished 15th at the Crabapple Junior Classic this fall. Last year, Poole finished second at the Atlanta Junior Grand Championship. Grey Earns Spot in All-America Classic Georgia State s Jonathan J.J. Grey shot a final round 1-under 70 to finish 21st at the at the Western Refining College All-America Golf Classic. Grey finished the two-day, 54-hole event that included many of the best golfers in the country at 8-over par. He opened play with rounds of 77 and 74 on Monday. The sophomore made four birdies in his final round to match his low round of the fall. Grey became the fifth golfer to participate in the event for Georgia State. Joel Sjoholm was the latest, playing in 2007 and finishing 11th, the best of any Panther golf. His second-round 64 is still tied for the third lowest round in GSU history. New Mexico s Gavin Green, ranked No. 26 in the country, shot a final-round 66 to finish the event at 11-under par to win low medalist honors. Alabama s Corey Whitsett finished second at 10-under, with Georgia Tech s Anders Albertson, No. 21 in the country, finishing third at 9-under. Cal s Michael Kim finished fourth at 8-under as Texas A&M s Tyler Dunlap and UCLA s Jonathan Garrick finished tied for fifth at 7-under. Grey was named the Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year last year and earned Division I PING All-Region honors in May. He finished the year ranked No. 43 by GolfStat and No. 64 by Golfweek. The Kent, England native concluded the year with a scoring average, the sixth lowest in a single season in school history, while compiling 21 of 38 rounds at par or better, second most in school history. This year s tournament features seven Palmer Cup players and three Walker Cup players, as well as 2011 Golf Classic Champion Brad Heaven (Toledo). Jason Hartwick (Texas), Brock Mackenzie (Washington), Chris Nallen (Arizona) and Heaven are making their third straight appearance in the event, becoming the 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd players to appear in the tournament three times. Each university is awarded a $1,000 scholarship if a golfer from that school competes in the tournament SCHEDULE Date Day Tournament Course (Location) Result Fall /22-24 Sun.-Tues. Rees Jones Invitational Haig Point Golf Club (Daufuskie Island, S.C.) 11th of 12 10/4-6 Fri.-Sun. Brickyard Collegiate Brickyard at Riverside (Macon, Ga.) 9th of 14 10/14-15 Mon.-Tues. AutoTrader.com Collegiate Classic Berkeley Hills CC (Duluth, Ga.) 1st of 14 10/26-27 Sat.-Sun. UNCG Bridgestone Collegiate Grandover Resort (East) (Greensboro, N.C.) t5th of 14 Spring /17-18 Mon.-Tues. Mobile Bay Intercollegiate Magnolia Grove Crossings G.C. Mobile, Ala. 2/24-25 Mon.-Tues. Jones Sports Invitational Saticoy Country Club Somis, Calif. 3/10-11 Mon.-Tues. Cleveland Golf Palmetto Intercollegiate Palmetto Golf Club Aiken, S.C. 3/14-16 Fri.-Sun. Schenkel Invitational Forest Heights Country Club Statesboro, Ga. 3/28-30 Fri.-Sun. Furman Intercollegiate Furman University Golf Club Greenville, S.C. 4/5-6 Sat.-Sun. Irish Creek Intercollegiate The Club at Irish Creek Kannapolis, N.C. 4/21-23 Mon.-Wed. Sun Belt Championship Grand Bear Golf Course Saucier, Miss. 5/15-17 Thurs.-Sat. NCAA Regionals Six Sites National tba 5/30-6/4 Tues.-Sun. NCAA Championships Prairie Dunes Golf Club Wichita, Kan.

4 Booster Club Information The season at the halfway point and the work continues for the Panther Men s Golf Booster Club which is continuing to look for your support as we prepare for a run at another NCAA Championship. With your support, we can continue a tradition that started over a decade ago as one of the premier golf programs in the country. Membership in the Panther Men s Golf Booster Club is an annual membership beginning each January and running through the following December. Members of every level will receive a copy of our monthly newsletter, a copy of the team media guide and this season s official Georgia State cap or visor of your choosing. To show our appreciation for your involvement, each level of giving receives a special bonus. We would also love to invite all of our boosters to come and follow our guys at tournaments, so please let us know if you are coming and we will introduce you to everyone. Donation $100 $250 $500 $1,000 $2,500 Patron Saint Benefi ts Georgia State Cap or Visor x x x x x Call Coach Inman Georgia State Golf Shirt x x x x for details Georgia State tailgate Chair x x x Georgia State Logo Moon-lite Walking Golf Bag x x Round of Golf w/ Team at Booster Club Event x What Does Your Money Do? The money donated to the Panther Men s Golf Booster Club will help support our team at tournaments throughout the season and help us obtain some of our goals, including a home practice facility, team van and full-time assistant coach. As travel continues to become more expensive, your donations will help to ease those costs as well as allow us to schedule the best tournaments throughout the country to continue to get the word out about Georgia State golf. We have big plans for the future of our team and we want it to become your team as well. As always, feel free to contact us anytime with any questions that you might have. Panther Men s Golf Booster Club Name Levels of Giving Address Par $100 Friend $2500 Birdie $250 Patron Saint Phone Eagle $500 Ace $1000 By checking this box, you choose NOT to accept booster gifts. Your entire donation will be tax deductable. Please circle or write-in choice Instructions 1. Fill out the form completely and cut along the dotted line. 2. Make Checks payable to the Georgia State University Foundation 3. In the Memo/Subject line, please write in Men s Golf 4. Address the envelope to: Panther Men s Golf Booster Club Attn. Joe Inman 125 Decatur Street - Suite 201 Atlanta, GA 30303

5 Dear Valued Friend, The Panther Athletic Club (PAC) serves as the official fundraising arm of the Georgia State University Department of Athletics. The mission of the PAC is to maximize annual unrestricted support that provides funding for athletic scholarships, facilities, recruiting, travel and other budget-relieving expenses of the program. To provide important opportunities requires incredible commitment from a generous group of supporters. Supporters of GSU Athletics through the PAC are an integral part of an active and meaningful support structure that educates, houses, trains and coaches GSU student-athletes. A student-athlete s experience directly involves you. Your support in the stands drives GSU student-athletes to their best in competition and in the classroom. Your annual gift builds the foundation for their success. To learn how you cam become part of the growing PAC membership, please contact one of the Panther Athletic Club staff members by calling the PAC office at Your gift directly impacts the lives of over 360 student-athletes. Join the PAC today! Go Panthers! Warmest Regards, Panther Athletic Club

6 Georgia State Golf Statistics Finishes Rounds Played Stroke Averages Round Breakdown Name Trn. T10 T25 HtH Rec. Rds Cnt Pct Strokes Avg. F all Spring 1st rd Last rd Low 60s <Par +/- Grant Cagle * Jonathan Grey * Tyler Gruca Victor Lavin * Kevin Lee Nathan Mallonee Ross Mclister * Damon Stephenson Davin White TEAM * competed as individual REES JONES INVITATIONAL Sept Daufuskie Island, S.C. Haig Point Golf Club 11th/12 teams t27 Damon Stephenson t30 Davin White t37 Tyler Gruca t52 Victor Lavin* t57 Jonathan Grey t65 Kevin Lee BRICKYARD COLLEGIATE Oct. 4-6 Macon, Ga. Brickyard at Riverside 9th/14 teams t12 Davin White t22 Jonathan Grey t37 Damon Stephenson t37 Nathan Mallonee t61 Grant Cagle* t68 Tyler Gruca MOBILE BAY INTERCOLLEGIATE Feb Mobile, Ala. Magnolia Grove Crossings Golf Club JONES SPORTS INVITATIONAL Feb Somis, Calif. Saticoy Country Club CLEVELAND GOLF PALMETTO INTERCOLLEGIATE Mar Aiken, S.C. Palmetto Golf Club SCHENKEL INVITATIONAL Mar Statesboro, Ga. Forest Heights Country Club FURMAN INTERCOLLEGIATE Mar Greenville, S.C. Furman University Golf Club IRISH CREEK INTERCOLLEGIATE April 4-5 Kannapolis, N.C. The Club at Irish Creek SUN BELT CHAMPIONSHIP April Saucier, Miss. Grand Bear Golf Course AUTOTRADER.COM COLLEGIATE CLASSIC Oct Duluth, Ga. Berkeley Hills Golf Club 1st/14 teams t2 Tyler Gruca t6 Nathan Mallonee t12 Damon Stephenson Victor Lavin* t25 Davin White t43 Ross Mclister* t43 Jonathan Grey t63 Grant Cagle* t78 Kevin Lee* UNCG BRIDGESTONE COLLEGIATE Oct Greensboro, N.C. Grandover Resort (East Course) t5th/14 teams t16 Damon Stephenson t21 Nathan Mallonee t21 Davin White t44 Tyler Gruca t52 Victor Lavin* t64 Jonathan Grey WESTERN REFINING COLLEGE ALL-AMERICA Nov El Paso, Texas El Paso Country Country 21 Jonathan Grey Team and Individual Bests Low Individual 18-hole Score: 65, Tyler Gruca, AutoTrader.com Collegiate Classic (2nd Round) Low Individual 18-hole Score/Relation to Par: -7 (65) Tyler Gruca, AutoTrader.com Collegiate Classic (2nd Round) Low Individual 54-hole Score: 208, Tyler Gruca, AutoTrader.com Collegiate Classic Low Individual 54-hole Score/Relation to Par: -8 (208), Tyler Gruca, AutoTrader.com Collegiate Low Team 18-hole Score: 280, AutoTrader.com Collegiate Classic (3rd Round) UNCG Bridgestone Collegiate (2nd Round) Low Team 18-hole Score in Relation to Par: -8 (280), AutoTrader.com Collegiate Classic (3rd Round) UNCG Bridgestone Collegiate (2nd Round) Low Team 54-hole Score: 845, AutoTrader.com Collegiate Classic Low Team 54-hole Score in Relation to Par: -19 (845), AutoTrader.com Collegiate Classic Best Team Finish: 1st, AutoTrader.com Collegiate Classic Best Individual Finish in a Team Event: t2, Tyler Gruca, AutoTrader.com Collegiate Classic