LOXLEY, Ala. – Led by Dawson Atkinson — who turned in the best 18-and 54-holes scores of his career — the University of South Alabama men's golf team had three individuals post top-10 results at the Steelwood Collegiate Invitational over the weekend.
The sophomore opened with a pair of 2-under-par 70s on the first day of play, and following a 72 on Sunday he ended up with a 4-under-par 212 total that placed him in a tie for fourth in the individual standings of the Jaguars' final fall tournament. Yannick Schütz closed the event with rounds of 70 and 71, tying for sixth with a 54-hole 215 total, one shot in front of fellow senior Rasmus Karlsson who tied for ninth place.
The duo of Ford Clegg and Garrett Johnson — with two-day totals of 206 and 207, respectively — led Mississippi State to the team title with a 19-under-par 845 group score, with Arkansas State (859) and Indiana (863) also breaking par over the weekend. The Jaguars recorded a 4-under-par 284 in the second round and shot 287 over the last 18 holes to finish sixth.
TEAM SCORES
1) Mississippi State 286-278-281—845 (-19); 2) Arkansas State 288-290-281—859; 3) Indiana 289-290-284—863; 4) Kennesaw State 291-288-289—868; 5) Cincinnati 291-294-286—871; 6) South Alabama 301-284-287—872; 7) Kentucky 296-290-296—882; 8) Rice 298-294-292—884; 9) Wofford 298-289-302—889; 10) Richmond 293-292-307—892; 11) Navy 303-299-292—894; 12) North Alabama 301-297-299—897; 13) Davidson 306-295-310—911.
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
1) Ford Clegg, MSU 71-68-67—206 (-10); 2) Garrett Johnson, MSU 71-66-70—207; 3) Julien Sale, ASU 71-72-66-209; T4) Dawson Atkinson*, USA 70-70-72—212; T4) Jack Madden, ASU 71-72-69—212; T6) Yannick Schütz, USA 74-70-71—215; T6) Clay Amlung, UC 66-79-70—215; T6) Sam Jean, UC 73-71-71—215; T9) five individuals with 216.
SOUTH ALABAMA SCORES
T4) Dawson Atkinson* 70-70-72—212 (-4); T6) Yannick Schütz 74-70-71—215; T9) Rasmus Karlsson 73-73-70—216; T24) Mathias Lorentzen 78-69-73—220; T29) Jacob LeCroy 76-72-73—221; T50) Jordan Plunkett 79-73-73—225; 72) Jacob Hatter* 77-79-82—238; 73) Spencer Arnold* 82-81-78—241.
*denotes competed as an individual
TEE SHOTS
-A total of 75 competitors from 13 schools comprised the tournament field.
-The Jaguars have now finished in the top half of the field at the event in each of its first four years dating back to the inaugural edition in 2016.
-South's two team rounds below par over the final 36 holes were their first since the first day of the season-opening Lone Star Invitational on Sept. 16.
-Atkinson — who had shot par or better in three of his first 16 rounds as a Jag before accomplishing the feat three times over the weekend — paced all players with a 10-under total on the course's par fives.
-Schütz led USA in the fall with three top-20 performances after pacing the field on par-four holes with a 7-under-par figure.
-It was the second top-10 result of the season for Karlsson, who was one of four players to shoot below par on par-three holes.
-Lorentzen had the best 18-hole score by a Jaguar at the event with a career-low 3-under-par 69 in the second round highlighted by four birdies, which included three prior to the turn.
-While Atkinson was the lone individual in the field to post more than one eagle (he had three), Schütz and Karlsson were both among the top 10 individuals with 13 and 12 birdies, respectively, over 54 holes.
THEY SAID IT
Head coach Ben Hannan
On the team's results as the Steelwood Collegiate Invitational: "This is a great event, a fun tournament and really good venue. I know the guys were excited to get going and wanted to play well at home, sometimes the 'want' gets in the way and that's what happened to us in the first round; we put ourselves in a huge hole. After opening the way we did, I am proud of the guys for bouncing back and responding with back-to-back under-par rounds, but it really could have been a lot better. It is unfortunate because the guys played a ton of good golf this week and didn't really get anything out of it because of the opening round and our finishes on the closing holes the last two rounds."
On Dawson Atkinson's play in the event: "I'm really happy for Dawson. Coming into this event he had been playing well, for him to show up, compete and get his lowest finish so far in a tournament is a testament to his work and how far he has come. He could have been in the starting five this week, but I played him in the individual spot and he kept a good attitude and responded by putting three solid rounds together. It certainly appears he is turning the corner, I'm excited to see where this will lead in the spring."
On what he learned about the Jaguars throughout the fall: "This is obviously a talented team, they got a win early and have shown the ability to get well below par during rounds; they've done it on multiple golf courses on more than one occasion this fall. This is a team with a lot of potential. Moving forward, we need to learn how to quit beating ourselves mentally in order to consistently take advantage of those hot rounds and finish them. This is such a mental game and that is what we are working on. We have a strong spring schedule and open again at home, so there is a ton of opportunity and a lot to look forward to."
Up next: South will begin the spring season when it plays host to the Mobile Sports Authority Intercollegiate, which will be conducted at the Magnolia Grove Crossings Golf Course Feb. 10-11.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/WeAreSouth_JAGS. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
Join the Birdie Club — the men's golf specific support club of the Jaguar Athletic Fund. All donations to the Birdie Club go directly to support the South Alabama men's golf program. For more information on how you can join visit: jaguarathleticfund.com/birdieclub.
—USA—
