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MUSCLE SHOALS, Ala. – Jacksonville State capped a wire-to-wire finish and topped the field by five shots to capture the 2018 Ohio Valley Conference Men’s Golf Championship at The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at The Shoals.
After each of the last two championships were decided by a single shot, JSU had a three-shot advantage after 18 holes and extended that to 10 after the second round before ultimately winning by five.
It marks the seventh overall Championship for Jacksonville State, who has now won titles in 2004, 2007, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2017 and 2018.The Gamecocks are the first OVC team to repeat since they also accomplished the feat in 2011 and 2012.
With the victory, JSU earned the OVC's automatic bid into the NCAA Championship. The 2018 field will be announced on the Golf Channel’s Golf Central Pregame Show at 5 p.m. CT on the Golf Channel on Wednesday, May 2.
The NCAA Regionals will be held May 14-16 and take place at six sites – Bryan, Texas, Columbus, Ohio, Kissimmee, Florida, Norman, Oklahoma, Raleigh, North Carolina and Stockton, California. Following the Regionals the National Championship will be held May 25-30 at Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
Jacksonville State finished with a three-round total of 875 (+11) while Eastern Kentucky was the runner-up for the second-straight year with a total of 880 (+16). EKU has placed among the top four at the conference championship 38 times in the last 41 years. Belmont jumped from fifth to third in the final standings, finishing in a tie with Morehead State at +18. Tennessee Tech was fifth (+19) and followed by Austin Peay (+24), SIUE (+32), UT Martin (+34), Tennessee State (+40), Murray State (+71) and Eastern Illinois (+108).
Morehead State junior
Nick Wilkins holed out on the 17th hole for eagle to grab the individual lead, but a bogey on 18 forced a three-hole playoff with Belmont freshman
Jack Uselton. Wilkins scored 12 (3-5-4) in the playoff to top Uselton (4-6-4) by two shots. Wilkins is just the sixth Morehead State golfer to earn medalist honors at the OVC Championship and first since Shawn Tipton in 2006. Uselton is the first Belmont player to earn medalist honors during the Bruins OVC era.
Although the duo share medalist honors, Wilkins earned the automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals with the playoff win.
The All-Tournament Team, which is comprised of the top five finishers and ties, included Wilkins and Uselton, Jacksonville State’s
Quim Vidal Mora and
Jesus Montenegro, UT Martin’s
Hunter Richardson, Belmont’s
Evan Davis, Tennessee Tech’s
Will Brooks and Eastern Kentucky’s
Will Sallee.
JSU placed three of its golfers in the top nine overall, with Montenegro and Vidal Mora tying for third (218, +2) and
Benedikt Thalmayr finishing ninth (220, +4). The Gamecocks have finished in the top three of the OVC Championship in nine of the past 10 years.
EKU also placed three players individuals in the top nine overall, with Sallee finishing fifth (219, +3) and
Noah Combs and
Erik Lindwall finishing one shot back in ninth place (220).
Belmont's third-place finish was its second-best at the OVC Championship (trailing only a second-place finish in 2015). Uselton's final round score of 69 propelled him to co-medalist honors (216, even par), while
Evan Davis had a final round 71 to place fifth (219, +3). It marked the first time in Belmont's Division I era that they had place two golfers in the top five at a conference championship.
Morehead State had its second top four finish in the last three years (the program was second in 2016). Wilkins was the day one leader, slipped back after day two, only to win the championship on Wednesday.
Blake Cartwright was 13th overall with a score of 221 (+5).
Brooks gave Tennessee Tech its second All-Tournament Team selection in as many years after rounds of 72-73-74 to finish at 219 (+3).
Alex Vegh had bookend rounds of 74 to finish atop of Austin Peay's leaderboard; his 54-hole total was 220 (+4) which placed him ninth.
Conor Dore tallied a three-round score of 223 (+7) to lead the SIUE attack; he finished in 19th place.
Richardson failed to win his third-straight OVC medalist honor, finishing in a tie for fifth with a three-round score of 219 (+3). The OVC Player of the Year has the highest GolfStat ranking in the OVC and is a candidate for a possible at-large NCAA berth.
Tennessee State tallied a final round 300 to finish ninth overall.
John Tyminski finished tied for 21st (224, +8) while
Jeremy Fultz had a final round deal of 72 to place 24th.
Austin Knight had a round of 75 (+3) on Wednesday and finished tied for 13th place and lead the Murray State team.
Romeo Perez and
Marcello Verdolin tied for 49th place for Eastern Illinois.
For the week the course played 7,258 yards and was a par 72.
OVC All-Tournament Team
Nick Wilkins, Morehead State (Co-MVP)
Jack Uselton, Belmont (Co-MVP)
Quim Vidal Mora, Jacksonville State
Jesus Montenegro, Jacksonville State
Hunter Richardson, UT Martin
Evan Davis, Belmont
Will Brooks, Tennessee Tech
Will Sallee, Eastern Kentucky
OVC Player of the Year: Hunter Richardson, UT Martin
OVC Coach of the Year: Pat Stephens, Eastern Kentucky
OVC Freshman of the Year: Jesus Montenegro, Jacksonville State