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MUSCLE SHOALS, Ala. – Leading by two shots entering the day, the Eastern Kentucky men’s golf team was able to extend that advantage on its way to a five-shot victory at the 2015 Ohio Valley Conference Men's Championship held at The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at The Shoals.
After having poor luck with Mother Nature in three of the previous four years (forcing the cancellation of the final round), Sunday’s weather finally cooperated allowing the complete 54 holes to be played for the first time since 2012.
Overall it marked the 12th title for the Colonels who have now won titles in 1975, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1992, 1997, 2006, 2008 and 2015. The 12 titles are the second most all-time in league history behind only the 16 titles won by Middle Tennessee. It also completed a clean sweep of the 2015 men’s and women’s golf titles as the EKU women were victorious at Hampton Cove in Huntsville earlier in the week; it marks the only third time in OVC history that one school has claimed both crowns in the same year (joining 2010 Murray State and 2012 Jacksonville State).
With the victory, Eastern Kentucky earned the OVC's automatic bid into the NCAA Championship. The 2015 field will be announced on Monday, May 4 on the Golf Channels' Morning Drive program that airs from 6-10 a.m. CT as well as being streamed on the Golf Channel website. The NCAA Regionals will be held May 14-16 and take place at six sites – Bremerton, Washington, New Haven, Connecticut, San Diego, California, Lubbock, Texas, Nolensville, Indiana and Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Following the Regionals the National Championship will be held May 29-June 3 at The Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida.
Eastern Kentucky finished with a 54-hole total of 868 (+4) which was five shots better than a trio of teams in Tennessee Tech, Belmont and Murray State (+9). Austin Peay (+10) was fifth and followed by UT Martin (+13), Jacksonville State (+14), Morehead State (+23), SIUE (+43), Tennessee State (+46) and Eastern Illinois (+57).
UT Martin senior
Brendon Caballero finished as the medalist with a three round total of 211 (-5), which was one shot better than Jacksonville State’s
Tomasz Anderson. The duo played in the same pairing on Sunday and Anderson had a par putt on 18 that would have forced a three-hole playoff but it came up just short. It marks the third-straight year that the medalist crown has been decided by a single stroke. Caballero is the first UTM player to earn medalist honors at the OVC Championship and with his victory earned the OVC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Championship.
Anderson, ranked No. 38 nationally by Golfstat, was named OVC Player of the Year in a vote of league head coaches following the final round. He is the third JSU golfer to earn that honor joining Nick Mackay and Matias Anselmo who shared the honor in 2004. Anderson leads all OVC golfers with a 70.5 stroke average and will almost assuredly earn an at-large berth into the NCAA Regionals for the second time in his career (and overall it will mark his fourth NCAA appearance as he has competed with the Jax State team in 2012 and 2014).
The All-Tournament Team, which is comprised of the top five finishers and ties, included Caballero, Anderson, Belmont’s
Ashton Van Horne, JSU’s
Pablo Torres, Tennessee Tech’s
Mitch Thomas and Austin Peay’s
Chris Baker.
Eastern Kentucky’s
Pat Stephens was named OVC Coach of the Year in a vote of league head coaches after the final round. It marks the third time he has won the honor (2006, 2008).
EKU had a complete team effort in the Championship as its top individual finisher was seventh.
Jared Brown claimed that honor with a three-round total of 216 (even par).
Taylor Riggs was one shot behind his teammate in eighth place while
Patric Sundlof and
Will Sallee finished in a tie for 11th.
Tennessee Tech continued its balanced attack that it had throughout the Championship as every Golden Eagle round was between 70 and 75 during the week. The second place finish was the best for the program since finishing in a tie for the Championship in 2006. In addition to Thomas who earned All-Tournament honors with his score of 215 (-1),
Bryce Kendrick was 11th after a total of 218 (+2).
Belmont, who was the leader after the first round, regrouped from Saturday’s disappointing showing by carding its best team score of the event (288). Van Horne, the All-OVC selection, improved his score each day going from 73 to 71 to a final round score of 69 (-3) to finish in third place (213, -3).
Murray State improved in each of its three rounds of the tournament, saving its best for last with a combined team score of 284 (-4) on Sunday to vault from seventh to a tie for second.
Jared Gosser fired the team’s low round of the day (70) while
Jordan Smith and
Brock Simmons each finished with rounds of 71; Smith and Simmons finished the Championship tied for eighth with 54-hole totals of 217 (+1).
Austin Peay slipped from second place entering the final round to fifth. Baker, who earned All-Tournament honors with his fifth place finish, had a three round score of 215 to lead the team while
Justin Arens finished 11th (218, +2).
UT Martin was paced by Caballero’s medalist effort while OVC Freshman of the Year
Hunter Richardson completed his second-straight even par round on Sunday to finish tied for 11th (218, +2).
Jacksonville State was led by the top five finishes of Anderson and Torres.
After an opening round 82, Morehead State’s
Will Branham carded his second consecutive round of 68 (-4) to finish the Championship at 218 (+2), which placed him 11th.
SIUE finished the championship with
Brady Dixon leading the way after a final round 75; he carded a three-day total of 224 (+8) to finish 29th.
Tennessee State capped its Championship with a score of 302.
Todd McGill was the team’s top finisher, placing 24th with a total of 222 (+6).
All five Eastern Illinois golfers carded rounds of either 75 or 76 on Sunday.
Marcus Dahlin was the team’s top finisher, placing 31st overall with a three round total of 225 (+9).
For the week the course played 7,258 yards and was a par 72.
OVC All-Tournament Team
Brendon Caballero, UT Martin (MVP)
Tomasz Anderson, Jacksonville State
Ashton Van Horne, Belmont
Pablo Torres, Jacksonville State
Mitch Thomas, Tennessee Tech
Chris Baker, Austin Peay
OVC Player of the Year: Tomasz Anderson, Jacksonville State
OVC Coach of the Year: Pat Stephens, Eastern Kentucky
OVC Freshman of the Year: Hunter Richardson, UT Martin