AUGUSTA,
Ga. --
Augusta State caught fire on the back nine once again Sunday, firing a 15-under 273 to claim a wire-to-wire victory in the Administaff Augusta State Invitational at Forest Hills Golf Club.
The Jaguars, ranked No. 3 in the nation, set a new school record and tournament record with a 54-hole total of 47-under 817. ASU finished 16 shots ahead of runnerup South Carolina, while Duke, Clemson and Tennessee rounded out the top five. Georgia Southern took sixth, five shots back of the Volunteers.
The Jags, who collectively were 11-under-par on the back nine, finished 1-2-3 among the individuals. Junior Henrik Norlander claimed medalist honors, matching his low round as a collegian with a seven-under 65 and registering the second-best score in tourney history with a 15-under 201.
Sophomore Patrick Reed, the 36-hole leader, booked a two-under 70 and finished alone in second at 13-under 203. Junior Mitch Krywulycz eagled the par-four 18th for a five-under 67 and tied for third with South Carolina’s George Bryan IV and Paul Woodbury.
“We came out today with a really aggressive mindset and that was key,” said ASU head coach Josh Gregory. “We knew we had to go out and put up a good score because the other teams were capable of going low. The conditions were just about perfect for scoring and the course was in great condition to put up some low numbers. Our guys played great and it says a lot that we were able to go wire-to-wire in our home event.”
The tournament title was the Jags’ eighth in the last 13 ASU Invitationals and marked the Jags’ fourth victory in their home event in Gregory’s eight-year tenure as head coach. ASU claimed its third straight tournament title at Forest Hills, while Norlander’s victory gave the Jags their sixth individual winner in the last 13 years of the event.
Junior Carter Newman managed a one-under 71 and gave the Jags four top-10 finishes with his tie for seventh at eight-under 208. Sophomore Taylor Floyd, last year’s medalist, tied for 20th at four-under 212 despite a one-over 73 in the final round.
ASU’s Jake Amos (74) and Olle Bengtsson (77), playing as individuals, tied for 20th and 86th, respectively.
Full-field results are available at www.aug.edu/athletics as well as www.golfstat.com.
The 18-team field included five top-20 squads and featured 11 teams ranked in the top 50 of the nation, including No. 3 ASU -- the highest-ranked team in the field -- along with No. 8 Illinois, No. 14 Clemson, No. 17 South Carolina and No. 18 Alabama. All but three teams are ranked among the top 100 programs in the country.
The Jags close out their regular-season schedule on April 23-24 at the PING Cougar Classic in Provo, Utah, at Riverside Country Club.