Dalton State men defend home course, take Roadrunner Classic by 11 strokes over tough competition

Published 11:30 am Wednesday, April 10, 2024

Playing against a field packed with nationally-ranked competition, the Dalton State College men’s golf team defended its home course, winning the 2024 Roadrunner Classic at The Farm in Rocky Face by 11 strokes Tuesday.

Dalton State, ranked second in the NAIA, won handily over a 12-team field that includes No. 1 Keiser and seven of the top 10 teams in the country.

Keiser, the 2022 national champion, was the second place finisher. Dalton State finished the three-round tournament with a score of 874 overall, good for 10-over par. Keiser, despite shooting even with Dalton State over the last two rounds of competition, finished 11 strokes back with an 885 after shooting 303 in Monday’s first round. Dalton State opened with a 292 to lead the field after a round.

Lindsey Wilson, ranked seventh, finished third at 889, while fifth-ranked Texas Wesleyan was fourth at 895. No. 13 Cumberland finished fifth with a 904.

Dalton State cruised to the win despite not having a player finish higher than third in the individual standings. Keiser’s Isac Wallin shot a 3-under to take individual medalist honors, but Dalton State’s Jack Whaley was four strokes back in third place at 1-over. Whaley shot a 72 in round one, a 69 in round two and a 75 in round three to finish with a 217.

All five of Dalton State’s counting scorers finished within the top 12 of the individual standings, though, making the way for the balanced victory.

Brock Hoover was tied for fourth at 2-over, just a stroke behind Whaley. Steve Kibare finished 4-over for the tournament, finishing ninth. Trevor Bassett and Jarod Edwards both finished at 7-over and in a tie for 12th.

Playing as an individual, Dalton State’s Tyler Latimer shot a 15-over to finish in a tie for 28th, and Brandon Boncore shot 26-over to finish in a tie for 56th.

The home tourney was the final regular season event for Dalton State. The Roadrunners now turn their attention to the Southern States Athletic Conference Championships later this month.

But, it won’t be the last time this year that the nation’s top programs descend on Whitfield County.

The NAIA Men’s Golf National Championship is set to be held in Dalton for the first time in May. The championship tournament will be played starting May 21 at Dalton Golf & Country Club, and a national champion will be crowned on May 24. The Roadrunner men, which won the national championship in 2021 and finished as runners-up in 2022, will hope to compete for a national title within their own city.

In a concurrent tournament with the men’s Roadrunner Classic against a similarly-stacked field, the Dalton State women’s team finished third in a weather-shortened Women’s Roadrunner Invitational, which was held at Nob North in Cohutta.

Fifth-ranked Dalton State finished five strokes back of No. 4 SCAD-Savannah in its home tournament, finishing with a 19-over 595 across the tournament, which was limited to two rounds. Dalton State followed a 303 in the first round with a 292 in the second, which was the second best team round in the tournament, but SCAD-Savannah shot identical 295s in both rounds to win with a 14-over 590.

Truett McConnell, ranked ninth in the country, finished second at 17-over, two strokes in front of Dalton State. No. 14 Ottawa-Arizona finished fourth, and 11th-ranked SCAD-Atlanta was fifth.

SCAD-Savannah’s Ariana Castro finished 4-under to cruise to the individual title, but several Lady Roadrunners took strong individual finishes.

Sydney Hermann was Dalton State’s top finisher at 3-under and ninth place, while Sara Burger was one stroke behind at 4-over and 10th place. Jia Kataria was one behind Burger in a tie for 11th. Hanna Bullard finished 7-over at a tie for 14th, and Mailey Buzzell tied for 25th.

Ella Cress finished tied for 37th at 17-over as an individual.

Dalton State competes in the SSAC tournament later this month.