2017 Championship Central
FINAL RESULTS
VIDEO: MCNEESE CHAMPION | BADOSA-SOLER MEDALIST
MCKINNEY, Texas – McNeese successfully defended their title at Stonebridge Ranch Country Club to win their second-straight Southland Men’s Golf Championship. The Cowboys shot 918 as a team, led by Blake Elliot and Andreas Krokeide, who finished tied for fifth and tied for 11
th, respectively.
An early morning thunderstorm pushed back the round’s start time by an hour and a half, leaving the course wetter and slower than the opening two days. Temperatures dropped sharply as the day wore on and strong wind gusts remained a factor throughout the round.
Ian Berrigan and Daniel O’Loughlin contributed to a well-rounded team finish for McNeese, finishing 15
th and 19
th, respectively. Berrigan shot a 233 while O’Loughlin carded a 235.
Stephen F. Austin jumped two spots on the final day to finish as runner-up behind a deep performance, also registering three top-20 individual finishers and a team score of 922. Blake Stock recovered from a challenging opening round score of 81 to card a 73 in both round two and three to lead the Lumberjacks with a score of 233. He finished tied for third overall. Zach Sudinsky tied for 16
th (234) and Angelo Leyvani tied for 20
th (236).
Sam Houston State also improved two spots after their round three performance to finish third as a team, just one stroke behind SFA with a score of 923. All five players for the Bearkats scored under 80 on the final day – the only team in the field to do so. William Holcomb led the effort, scoring 73-79-75 for a 227 total, good for a tie for third place as an individual.
While Nicholls was not able to hold on to their momentum throughout round three, which saw them fall from a close second place to fourth, Albert Badosa-Soler shined, finishing tied for first with score of 225. Badosa-Soler forced a playoff for individual medalist honors with Houston Baptist’s Val Almendarez.
Louis Tomlinson of Central Arkansas, Jack Lee of Nicholls and Elliot of McNeese all finished tied for fifth with scores of 228. Houston Baptist’s Carlos Trevino and Nicholls’ Josh Fullilove carded 229s to tie for eighth. Paul Obermann of Southeastern Louisiana rounded out the top scorers in 10
th place with a score of 230.
In the individual playoff, Badosa-Soler and Almendarez resumed play at hole 18, from which they would tie twice and revert to hole 17. Again, both individuals carded the same score on 17 and 18, reverting to hole 17 for round five. Tying again on 17, Badosa-Soler finally separated in round six on 18, winning the individual medalist title over Almendarez.
McNeese earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship for the second-straight year, with regional rounds taking place May 15-17. Badosa-Soler earns an automatic bid as an individual. The NCAA Selection Show will air live on the Golf Channel on Thursday, May 4 at 11 a.m. CT.
FINAL TEAM STANDINGS
| Pos. |
Team |
To Par |
Round 1 |
Round 2 |
Round 3 |
Total |
| 1. |
McNeese |
+54 |
302 |
306 |
310 |
918 |
| 2. |
Stephen F. Austin |
+58 |
313 |
307 |
302 |
922 |
| 3. |
Sam Houston State |
+59 |
307 |
314 |
302 |
923 |
| 4. |
Nicholls |
+64 |
309 |
309 |
310 |
928 |
| 5. |
Southeastern Louisiana |
+66 |
295 |
316 |
319 |
930 |
| T6. |
Central Arkansas |
+74 |
316 |
312 |
310 |
938 |
| T6. |
Houston Baptist |
+74 |
314 |
314 |
310 |
938 |
| 8. |
Abilene Christian |
+94 |
325 |
323 |
310 |
958 |
| 9. |
UIW |
+124 |
339 |
339 |
310 |
988 |
| 10. |
New Orleans |
+125 |
330 |
337 |
322 |
989 |