GSC Men's Golf Final Results
PINE MOUNTAIN, Ga. – Zach Zediker sank a birdie putt on the first hole of a sudden death play to capture top medalist honors at the 2018 Gulf South Conference Men's Golf Championships on Tuesday.
The Panama City, Fla., native birdied 18 to force the playoff with defending GSC and NCAA Division II Individual champion Chandler Blanchet of West Florida.
After a first round three-over, 75, Zediker bounced back to card a three-under, 69 before shooting a final round six-under, 66 to set up the playoff. The freshman finished with a six-under, 210 54-hole total on the par 72, 6,788-yard Callaway Gardens Mountain View Course.
Zediker is the first GSC Top Medalist for the Statesmen since Kevin Jones won the title in 2005 and is the fifth overall GSC individual champion.
The Statesmen bid for the team title came up four strokes short finishing behind defending champion and No. 1 ranked University of West Florida. DSU shot an even-par, 288 in the final round to finish at 13-over, 877.
Valdosta State (881) was third followed by Montevallo (882), Lee University (895), West Georgia (904), North Alabama (915), Union University (930), Mississippi College (934) and Christian Brothers (936) to round out the top 10.
George Kawell shot a 69 and a 78 in the first two rounds before carding a one-over, 73 in the final round. Kawell tied for ninth with a 220.
Mitchell Haddox tied for 16
th with a 223 after an even-par, 72, and
John-Crawford Counts took home 18
th with a 226 54-hole total.
Alan Larson tied for 35th with a 234.
The Statesmen will return to action at the NCAA Division II South/Southeast Regional on May 7-9 at the Rock Barn Country Club (Jones Course) in Conover, North Carolina.
QUOTING COACH EASTON KEY: " I am so proud of the way these guys competed this week. We started out with a ten shot lead after the first round and fell back to second where we finished the week, but these guys battled to the end. The way the round ended yesterday, it would have been easy to let it get to us and come out flat today but our guys gathered themselves and rallied behind each other and came out firing today. Congratulations to Zediker winning the tournament individually, he's got special talent and we're glad he's playing for the good guys. His finish to force a playoff was one of the most clutch things I have ever seen and then to drain that putt in the playoff was incredible. I'm so proud of him and his hard work he's put in all year and he deserves it."
