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ETSU Wins Playoff for SoCon Men?s Golf Championship
PINEHURST, N.C. – ETSU won a sudden-death playoff against UNCG to claim the 2015 Southern Conference Men’s Golf Championship at the par-72, 7,091-yard Pinehurst No. 9 on Tuesday. The individual race was just as close, as Western Carolina’s J.T. Poston topped the Bucs’ Adrian Meronk in a one-hole playoff to earn medalist honors for the second straight season.
The Bucs’ team title was their league-record 18th and first since 2005, their last year in the SoCon before rejoining this academic year. With their wins, ETSU and Poston earned the SoCon’s automatic team and individual bids to the NCAA regionals. The NCAA field will be announced on Monday, May 4, at 10 a.m. on the Golf Channel.
With ETSU and UNCG all-square coming down to the final hole of regulation, UNCG’s Jake McGlone rolled in a tough 25-foot putt to save par after putting his approach in the pine straw next to the cart path, putting all the pressure on Meronk. ETSU’s Palmer Cup player from Wroclaw, Poland, knocked down his 5-footer for par of his own, sending the teams to a sudden-death playoff on hole 18.
The teams played the hole in two groups of five with four scores counting, with the first group of ETSU’s Meronk, Mateusz Gradecki and Tom Heggarty and UNCG’s Roy Dixon and Josh Stockwell all making par on the par-4 hole.
In the next group, the Bucs’ Rhys Pugh and Gudmundur Kristjansson also parred the final hole – with Kristjansson’s 40-foot birdie putt lipping out – leaving UNCG with a pair of must-have par putts after Taylor Coalson’s approach found water. Luke Haithcock’s mid-range attempt missed by just inches, clinching the title for ETSU.
The playoff was made possible by a phenomenal final round by the Spartans, who trailed ETSU by six strokes entering their final 18 holes but turned in a 7-under-par 281 Tuesday to chase down the Bucs. The teams traded the lead for much of the second half of the day but could never put the other one away.
The individual race also saw a dramatic finish, as Meronk, playing the 18th hole for a third straight time, battled it out with Poston for medalist honors. Meronk’s long birdie putt came up short before he closed out a par, and Poston sank a birdie from nearly the same location as McGlone’s long make in regulation to lock up his second straight SoCon title.
With the win, Poston became the first player to win multiple SoCon titles since WCU’s Matt Cook in 2006 and 2008 and the 11th multiple winner overall since tournament’s beginning in 1933. Poston is the first to win the event in consecutive years since Furman’s Ken Ezell won three straight from 1975-77 and the seventh to do it overall, a group that includes the legendary Arnold Palmer.
Poston and Meronk each finished the tournament at 9-under 207, with Poston capping his tournament with a 1-under 71 after opening with a 6-under 66 and a 2-under 70. Meronk was the model of consistency, shooting 3-under 69 in all three rounds.
UNCG’s McGlone matched Meronk, Spartan teammate Stockwell and Chattanooga’s Ewan Scott for the low round of the day at 69, moving up two spots to finish third at 5-under 211 (71-71-69).
Mercer’s Trey Rule finished fourth at 2-under 214 (73-66-75) for the tournament, while ETSU’s Gradecki (68-73-74), UNCG’s Dixon (73-72-70), Chattanooga’s Wes Gosselin (71-72-72) and Wofford’s Brannan Hudson (67-77-71) all tied for fifth at 1-under 215.
In the team race, ETSU and UNCG had matching 2-under 862s atop the leaderboard. Chattanooga finished third at 12-over 876, followed by Wofford (885), Furman (890), Western Carolina (894), Mercer (895) and Samford (907).
The playoff to determine the team winner was the first since Furman beat ETSU in 1997 and the individual playoff was the first since Wofford's William McGirt beat ETSU's Pat Beste in 2001.
The league’s eight head coaches voted on all-conference awards at the tournament, with ETSU’s Meronk earning SoCon Player of the Year honors. The Bucs’ Fred Warren was named SoCon Coach of the Year, while Chattanooga’s Andrew Weathers was named Freshman of the Year.
ETSU’s Meronk and Chris Hickman, Furman’s Wehman Hopke and Bryce Howell, Mercer’s Rule and Emmanuel Kountakis, UNCG’s Dixon, Chattanooga’s Liam Johnston, Western Carolina’s Poston, and Wofford’s Jeremy Grab were named to the all-conference team.
UTC’s Weathers, UNCG’s Stockwell, ETSU’s Cayman Ratliff, Mercer’s Jerry Ren and Wofford’s Evan Grenus earned all-freshman honors.
2015 Southern Conference Men’s Golf Championship
Pinehurst No. 9
Par 72, 7,091 yards
Pinehurst, N.C.
Team results
Place Team R1-R2-R3=Total
T1 ETSU** 286-289-287=862
T1 UNCG 294-287-281=862
3 Chattanooga 291-293-292=876
4 Wofford 289-299-297=885
5 Furman 300-292-298=890
6 Western Carolina 298-288-308=894
7 Mercer 297-293-305=895
8 Samford 305-298-304=907
** ETSU won in sudden-death playoff
Individual leaders
Place Team R1-R2-R3=Total
T1 J.T. Poston, Western Carolina** 66-70-71=207
T1 Adrian Meronk, ETSU 69-69-69=207
3 Jake McGlone, UNCG 71-71-69=211
4 Trey Rule, Mercer 73-66-75=214
T5 Brannan Hudson, Wofford 67-77-71=215
T5 Roy Dixon, UNCG 73-72-70=215
T5 Mateusz Gradecki, ETSU 68-73-74=215
T5 Wes Gosselin, Chattanooga 71-72-72=215
T9 Preston Cole, Furman 73-70-74=217
T9 Wehman Hopke, Furman 73-69-75=217
T9 Garrett Moores, Samford 74-72-71=217
** WCU’s Poston won in sudden-death playoff
SoCon Player of the Year
Adrian Meronk, ETSU
SoCon Freshman of the Year
Andrews Weathers, Chattanooga
SoCon Coach of the Year
Fred Warren, ETSU
All-Southern Conference Team
Chris Hickman, ETSU
Adrian Meronk, ETSU
Wehman Hopke, Furman
Bryce Howell, Furman
Emmanuel Kountakis, Mercer
Trey Rule, Mercer
Roy Dixon, UNCG
Liam Johnston, Chattanooga
J.T. Poston, Western Carolina
Jeremy Grab, Wofford
All-Freshman Team
Cayman Ratliff, ETSU
Jerry Ren, Mercer
Josh Stockwell, UNCG
Andrew Weathers, Chattanooga
Evan Grenus, Wofford
The Bucs’ team title was their league-record 18th and first since 2005, their last year in the SoCon before rejoining this academic year. With their wins, ETSU and Poston earned the SoCon’s automatic team and individual bids to the NCAA regionals. The NCAA field will be announced on Monday, May 4, at 10 a.m. on the Golf Channel.
With ETSU and UNCG all-square coming down to the final hole of regulation, UNCG’s Jake McGlone rolled in a tough 25-foot putt to save par after putting his approach in the pine straw next to the cart path, putting all the pressure on Meronk. ETSU’s Palmer Cup player from Wroclaw, Poland, knocked down his 5-footer for par of his own, sending the teams to a sudden-death playoff on hole 18.
The teams played the hole in two groups of five with four scores counting, with the first group of ETSU’s Meronk, Mateusz Gradecki and Tom Heggarty and UNCG’s Roy Dixon and Josh Stockwell all making par on the par-4 hole.
In the next group, the Bucs’ Rhys Pugh and Gudmundur Kristjansson also parred the final hole – with Kristjansson’s 40-foot birdie putt lipping out – leaving UNCG with a pair of must-have par putts after Taylor Coalson’s approach found water. Luke Haithcock’s mid-range attempt missed by just inches, clinching the title for ETSU.
The playoff was made possible by a phenomenal final round by the Spartans, who trailed ETSU by six strokes entering their final 18 holes but turned in a 7-under-par 281 Tuesday to chase down the Bucs. The teams traded the lead for much of the second half of the day but could never put the other one away.
The individual race also saw a dramatic finish, as Meronk, playing the 18th hole for a third straight time, battled it out with Poston for medalist honors. Meronk’s long birdie putt came up short before he closed out a par, and Poston sank a birdie from nearly the same location as McGlone’s long make in regulation to lock up his second straight SoCon title.
With the win, Poston became the first player to win multiple SoCon titles since WCU’s Matt Cook in 2006 and 2008 and the 11th multiple winner overall since tournament’s beginning in 1933. Poston is the first to win the event in consecutive years since Furman’s Ken Ezell won three straight from 1975-77 and the seventh to do it overall, a group that includes the legendary Arnold Palmer.
Poston and Meronk each finished the tournament at 9-under 207, with Poston capping his tournament with a 1-under 71 after opening with a 6-under 66 and a 2-under 70. Meronk was the model of consistency, shooting 3-under 69 in all three rounds.
UNCG’s McGlone matched Meronk, Spartan teammate Stockwell and Chattanooga’s Ewan Scott for the low round of the day at 69, moving up two spots to finish third at 5-under 211 (71-71-69).
Mercer’s Trey Rule finished fourth at 2-under 214 (73-66-75) for the tournament, while ETSU’s Gradecki (68-73-74), UNCG’s Dixon (73-72-70), Chattanooga’s Wes Gosselin (71-72-72) and Wofford’s Brannan Hudson (67-77-71) all tied for fifth at 1-under 215.
In the team race, ETSU and UNCG had matching 2-under 862s atop the leaderboard. Chattanooga finished third at 12-over 876, followed by Wofford (885), Furman (890), Western Carolina (894), Mercer (895) and Samford (907).
The playoff to determine the team winner was the first since Furman beat ETSU in 1997 and the individual playoff was the first since Wofford's William McGirt beat ETSU's Pat Beste in 2001.
The league’s eight head coaches voted on all-conference awards at the tournament, with ETSU’s Meronk earning SoCon Player of the Year honors. The Bucs’ Fred Warren was named SoCon Coach of the Year, while Chattanooga’s Andrew Weathers was named Freshman of the Year.
ETSU’s Meronk and Chris Hickman, Furman’s Wehman Hopke and Bryce Howell, Mercer’s Rule and Emmanuel Kountakis, UNCG’s Dixon, Chattanooga’s Liam Johnston, Western Carolina’s Poston, and Wofford’s Jeremy Grab were named to the all-conference team.
UTC’s Weathers, UNCG’s Stockwell, ETSU’s Cayman Ratliff, Mercer’s Jerry Ren and Wofford’s Evan Grenus earned all-freshman honors.
2015 Southern Conference Men’s Golf Championship
Pinehurst No. 9
Par 72, 7,091 yards
Pinehurst, N.C.
Team results
Place Team R1-R2-R3=Total
T1 ETSU** 286-289-287=862
T1 UNCG 294-287-281=862
3 Chattanooga 291-293-292=876
4 Wofford 289-299-297=885
5 Furman 300-292-298=890
6 Western Carolina 298-288-308=894
7 Mercer 297-293-305=895
8 Samford 305-298-304=907
** ETSU won in sudden-death playoff
Individual leaders
Place Team R1-R2-R3=Total
T1 J.T. Poston, Western Carolina** 66-70-71=207
T1 Adrian Meronk, ETSU 69-69-69=207
3 Jake McGlone, UNCG 71-71-69=211
4 Trey Rule, Mercer 73-66-75=214
T5 Brannan Hudson, Wofford 67-77-71=215
T5 Roy Dixon, UNCG 73-72-70=215
T5 Mateusz Gradecki, ETSU 68-73-74=215
T5 Wes Gosselin, Chattanooga 71-72-72=215
T9 Preston Cole, Furman 73-70-74=217
T9 Wehman Hopke, Furman 73-69-75=217
T9 Garrett Moores, Samford 74-72-71=217
** WCU’s Poston won in sudden-death playoff
SoCon Player of the Year
Adrian Meronk, ETSU
SoCon Freshman of the Year
Andrews Weathers, Chattanooga
SoCon Coach of the Year
Fred Warren, ETSU
All-Southern Conference Team
Chris Hickman, ETSU
Adrian Meronk, ETSU
Wehman Hopke, Furman
Bryce Howell, Furman
Emmanuel Kountakis, Mercer
Trey Rule, Mercer
Roy Dixon, UNCG
Liam Johnston, Chattanooga
J.T. Poston, Western Carolina
Jeremy Grab, Wofford
All-Freshman Team
Cayman Ratliff, ETSU
Jerry Ren, Mercer
Josh Stockwell, UNCG
Andrew Weathers, Chattanooga
Evan Grenus, Wofford
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