ETSU wins fifth consecutive SoCon Men’s Golf Championship

GREENSBORO, Ga. – ETSU clinched the 2025 Southern Conference Men’s Golf Championship on Tuesday at the par-72, 7,393-yard Oconee Course at Reynolds Lake Oconee in Greensboro, Georgia. UNCG’s Colin Dutton was the medalist at the event, shooting a 10-under 206 for the tournament.

The Buccaneers entered the day tied with UNCG at 14-under-par. ETSU had the tournament’s best team score for a round during the final, shooting a 14-under 274 to finish the event with a score of 836 (-28). The Bucs were able to build their lead to double digits on the front nine, thanks to 11 birdies and two eagles. ETSU stayed steady on the back nine, cruising to its fifth straight tournament win. The victory marks the second time the program has won five straight championships, with the other occurrence happening between 1979-83.

UNCG finished as the runner-up with a tournament score of 18-under 846. The Spartans shot 277 in the first round, 285 in the second round and 284 in the final round.

Western Carolina finished third after shooting a 4-under 284 in the final round, completing the tournament at 14-under 850. Chattanooga concluded the event in fourth at 12-under 852 and Furman was fifth at 6-under 858. Samford (861), Wofford (865) and Mercer (868) rounded out the scoring at sixth, seventh and eighth place, respectively.

Dutton is the third Spartan to finish first at the SoCon championship, joining Nick Lyerly in 2018 and J.D. Bass in 2007. The senior began the final day with a three-stroke advantage after posting scores of 69 and 66 in the opening two rounds. Dutton shot a 1-under-par 71 in the final round, sinking four birdies in the process to earn a one-stroke win.

ETSU’s Yannick Malik finished second with a tournament score of 9-under-par 207. UNCG’s Jack Marcotte and Western Carolina’s Ivan Ninkovic tied for third at 8-under 208, while the Bucs’ Kristian Bressum and Chattanooga’s Garrett Engle were tied for fifth with a score of 7-under-par 209. Dutton and Engle tied for the lead in birdies with 16 apiece, and Marcotte was the only golfer to log multiple eagles, finishing with two.

The Bucs’ Joshua Pritchett earned the Knight Commission Pinnacle Award as the student-athlete on the championship-winning team with the highest cumulative GPA.

ETSU will learn its postseason destination when the NCAA selection show airs on Wednesday, April 30, at 1 p.m. Eastern on the Golf Channel.