Like our other athletic teams, the first year Dalton State men’s golf team can’t be ranked in the national NAIA poll, but that is not stopping them from playing with the nation’s best.
Playing under difficult conditions that included winds of 20 to 25 mph, twelve teams battled in the two-day, 36 hole, Emmanuel Invitational at Cateechee Golf Club.
The Roadrunners moved from seventh place on Monday to finish second (309-312 = 621), four strokes back of the hosts from Emmanuel College (308-309 = 617).
Dalton finished a stroke better than NAIA no. 4 ranked Coastal Georgia (304-318 = 622). Brewton Parker (307-321 = 628) and no 9 ranked Southern Wesleyan (301-327 = 628) finished tied for fourth.
The University of Mobile (304-328 = 632), ranked no. 20 in the most recent NAIA poll, was sixth.
Truett-McConnell (303-334 = 637) was seventh in the tournament, Talladega College (324-320 = 644) finished eighth, Point University (324-325 = 649), followed by Emmanuel’s B-Team (336-259 = 595), Loyola of New Orleans (335-338 = 673), and Martin Methodist (359-333 = 692).
“What a great effort this week against top ranked teams,” said Dalton State coach Ben Rickett. “
“The conditions were challenging all day and the guys showed mental toughness,” Rickett added. “I really like the direction the team is heading, but we still have lots of areas we need to improve.”
Emmanuel’s Joel Sawyer (75-75 = 148) was low medalist. Three players finished second individually – four strokes back.
Dalton State’s Chase Jones (76-76 = 152), Southern Wesleyan’s Tyler Cozad (75-77 = 152), and Coastal Georgia’s Allen Bradford (75-77 = 152) were all just one stroke ahead of Southern Wesleyan’s Zack Moore and Coastal Georgia’s Chase Miller.
Monday’s individual leader finished in a four-way tie for seventh.
Deven Broadway of Truett-McConnell (68-86 = 154), Dalton’s Anthony D’Angelo (76-78 = 154), Paxton Shuman (78-76 = 154) of Truett-McConnell and Zach Day (72-80 =154) of the University of Mobile shared the position.
The Roadrunners’ Tobi Ebner (79-79 = 158) and Levi Nix (78-80 = 158) ended up ended in a tie for 17th with Juan Mejia (83-75 = 158) of Talladega College.
Each school’s low four counted in the team score. Dalton State’s Tyler Mitchell (82-79 = 161) finished tied for 27th
The men played the black tees, making it a 6,928 yard course.
Dalton State men will travel back to Northeast Georgia to compete March 31 and April 1 at the University of North Georgia Chic-Fil-A Invitational at Achasta Golf Club in Dahlonega.