Columbus State Team; Clayton's Wilcox Win at Outback Intercollegiate

PANAMA CITY BEACH, FLA – The 2009 golf spring season got off to a fantastic start for the PBC as Columbus State won the Outback Steakhouse Intercollegiate on Tuesday while Clayton State’s Will Wilcox won the individual honor. Peach Belt golf teams took the top four spots with Clayton State as a team finishing second with Lander one stroke behind and Armstrong Atlantic State two behind that. The PBC also had the top three individual finishers and nine of the top 12.

Columbus State stayed consistent on Tuesday, following Monday's team round of 292 with a final round 293 to post a four-shot win. The event was hosted by Catawba College and played on the 6,831-year Hombre Golf Club layout. The win is the third consecutive tournament title for the Cougars in 2008-09, dating back to the final two fall events.

CSU's Andrew Georgiou finished second in the individual race after carding rounds of 71-69 and finished with two straight birdies on Tuesday. Cougar Michael Hicks took third place, following Monday's 70 with a solid 73 in the final round.

JP van der Walt shot rounds of 73-74 to give the Cougars three players in the top 10 as he finished tied for 7th. Steven Paine turned in rounds of 78-77 and Jeremy Britt had rounds of 80-85 to round out the Cougar team.

Wilcox, a two-time Division II All-American, fired a 6-under-par 66 on Tuesday to win low medalist honors. In addition, Wilcox’s individual title also helped propel 20th-ranked Clayton State to a second-place finish in the 16-team field.

After leading at the end of the first round with a 291, the Lakers shot a 298 in Tuesday’s final round and finished with a 589.

In addition to Wilcox, Si Clemo made a success Laker debut on his home course with a 3-over 147 (73-74), while Neil Thomas shot a 151 (72-79). Jordan Tyler Massey (78-79) and Wade Binfield (74-83) both finished with a 157 to round out the Clayton State scoring.

Lander finished third behind Bryan Newton, who fired a 72 on the final day to finish tied for fifth at +2 146. Charlie Hoyle was eighth (73-74=147) while Robeto Nasalli-Roca was 15th at 151 and Billy Belair and Seb Brown both tied for 18th at 151. Lander finished one shot behind Clayton State at 590 and had their third top-five finish of the season.

Armstrong Atlantic State finished two strokes behind Lander at 592 after a 299 in the final round. Chris Wolfe fired back-to-back one-over-par 73s to finish in a tie for fifth at 146 while Jon Wingate was tied for eighth after going 73-74=147. Matt Motes finished in 13th with a 149 while Parker Gordon also turned in a top-20 with his 18th place finish at 151.

Georgia Southwestern also competed at the Outback Intercollegiate, finishing in a tie for 11th at 625, three strokes out of 10th. The Hurricanes’ Adam McKenney was the low shooter, finishing tied for 15th with 71-79=150.

To see the complete tournament results, click here.