The Jacksonville State men’s golf team made a late push in tough conditions on Tuesday to climb two spots and finish fourth at Kennesaw State’s Pinetree Intercollegiate.
The Gamecocks, who entered the final 18 holes of the 54-hole event in sixth place, shot a final-round 306 on Tuesday to move into fourth in the 11-team field. They shot an 898 on the par-72, 7,108-yard Pinetree Country Club over two days, leaping Tennessee Tech and the host Owls in the final round.
The top-five finish was Jax State’s second in its four-tournament fall schedule, which concludes with the Pinetree Intercollegiate.
The Gamecocks were led by junior Erik Jansson, who made 12 birdies over his 54 holes to finish 11th out of 63 players in the event. The Vasteras, Sweden, native opened his 54 holes with a 1-under 71 on Monday morning before carding back-to-back rounds of 75 to finish off his 221.
Jansson used his final-round 75 to climb three spots on the individual leaderboard and lead the Gamecocks for the third-straight tournament.
Sophomores Ryley Heath and Santiago Bailleres finished in a tie for 15th with 54-hole scores of 224. Heath, a native of Decatur, Ala., sandwiched an even-par 72 in between two rounds of 76 to account for all of his strokes during the event. He climbed four spots on Tuesday, thanks to an eagle on the par-5 seventh hole and a pair of birdies on the back nine.
Bailleres opened his tournament with a bang, signing for a 2-under 70 in Monday morning’s opening round. The Carrientes, Argentina, native shot a 75 on Monday afternoon and then finished with a 79 on Tuesday. He birdied his final hole, the par-5 18th, to close his tournament and fall season.
Sophomore Gabriel Restrepo finished 43rd with a 234 after shooting rounds of 76-82-76, while senior Ross Napier rounded out the Gamecocks lineup in 44th with a 235. He turned in scores of 74-79-82.
The Gamecocks will turn their attention to getting ready for the spring season, which will begin in February.
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