The Troy men’s golf team wrapped up an action-packed, four-day stretch with a first-place finish at the Sun Belt Preview Sept. 26-27, and a 10th-place finish at the Shoal Creek Invitational Sept. 28-29.
The Trojans’ victory in the Sun Belt Preview was their first tournament title since 2006.
The tournament, a two-day event that took place in Miramar Beach, Florida, featured 10 of the 11 men’s golf teams from the Sun Belt Conference. The only team that did not participate was Appalachian State.
Following a fifth place start to the tournament, the Trojans kicked it up a notch, with individual successes across the board.
Juniors Jared Bettcher, Luke Moser and Clayton Vannoy led the Trojans, combining for a total of six rounds in the 60s. Moser led the Trojans with a 7-under-206 performance that saw him shooting in the 60s for all three rounds of the weekend. Three birdies and a bogey down the stretch for Moser helped him achieve his second place finish in the tournament.
Bettcher moved up three spots to sixth in the standings on the final day of competition, recording seven birdies, two bogeys and a double-bogey. Vannoy also finished 1-under-212 to secure a tie for seventh place.
Also in the top 25 individual standings was freshman Calum Masters, who finished with a 2-over-73 in the final round to earn a tie for 14th place.
“I’m really pleased with the way our guys responded to the challenge today,” said head coach Matt Terry. “We knew after yesterday that the other teams would be gunning for us, but we came out and went low for the second straight round. There are a lot of quality teams in this conference, and for us to come out of here with a win, it is a big accomplishment for this group.”
Troy looked to take its momentum into the Shoal Creek Invitational in Birmingham, as it faced teams from the Big 12, SEC and Pac-12 conferences, among others.
The Trojans were unable to repeat the success from their previous tournament however, finishing 10th out of 12 teams.
Bettcher led the Trojans, finishing with a six-over for the tournament, securing a tie for 16th place.
Moser and junior Cam Norman followed him with a five-under each for the tournament, placing them in 26th and 43rd, respectively.
Vannoy finished the tournament with three birdies in his final four holes, earning him a 50th place finish. He shot a 78 in the final round. Masters followed him in 64th place, rounding out the field for Troy.
The men’s team will return to action on Sunday, Oct. 11, when they participate in the two-day AutoTrader.com Collegiate Classic in Duluth, Georgia.
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