ALEXANDRIA, La. – The Alabama State Men's golf team captured its second consecutive Southwestern Athletic Conference title Wednesday evening.
“We played well during the first round before playing poorly the second round,” ASU's Head Coach
Dr. Gary Grandison. “During our final round, our guys went back to the principles that Assistant Coach
Robert Clark and I have emphasized the entire year. I am so happy that the tournament performances turned out this way because we have such a young team that has to learn from experiences. I am extremely pleased with Branson's and Easy's (Francis's) final round performance.”
Branson Ferrier led Alabama State and was awarded the tournament's Most Valuable Player, Tournament Low Metalist, and Freshman Low Metalist shooting 215 (69 - 76 - 70) at the par 72-7043 yards Oak Wing Golf Course.
The Hornets posted a team score of 293 and shot 881 for the 54-hole event, 17 shots ahead of second place Jackson State.
“Last year's men's team performed better than any previous team in school history,” said Grandison. “This year's men's team has surpassed the previous team's performance and has taken our program to that next level in collegiate golf. I am so happy that they finished the tournament strong in spite of the obstacles. They showed the mental toughness needed for us to move forward.”
Alabama State had five players finish in the top seven of the event.
Francis Berthiaume finished second and was awarded First-Team All-Conference honors with a final round score of 69 and an overall score of 217, while Jose Rodriguez recorded a 79 on the day and a three-day score of 226, ranking fifth overall and being named to the First-Team All-Conference.
Ian Mmbando (76) and
Robert Grant (84) tied for seventh, shooting a tournament score of 230, earning Second-Team Alll-Conference honors.
Chris Wilson rounded out the scoring for ASU, shooting a final round score of 78 and an overall tournament score of 232, ranking 11th on the leaderboard.
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