DSC Golf increases lead at SSAC tourney

Published 10:42 pm Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Dalton State College has been the best team at the Southern States Athletic Conference men’s golf tournament during the first two rounds.

One more day of excellence and the Roadrunners will have league bragging rights for a year.

Dalton State, which entered the second round of the 54-hole tournament at Montgomery (Ala.) Country Club holding a one-stroke edge over College of Coastal Georgia, stretched its overall lead to three shots despite the Mariners showing improvement in the second round.

The Roadrunners, ranked No. 11 in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, shot a 278 in the second round for a 36-hole total of 559. Coastal Georgia, the nation’s top-ranked team and the 2014 NAIA champion, is at 562 after Tuesday’s 280.

The tournament finishes today, and the Roadrunners are making a bid to win the SSAC title in their first year of postseason eligibility in the NAIA after Dalton State re-launched athletics for the 2013-14 school year.

“We have done everything we have needed to do through two rounds. We have given ourselves a chance,” Dalton State coach Ben Rickett said in a release from the school. “The entire team has been fantastic this week. We’ve handled the situations and really gotten the most out of rounds.”

Dalton State golfers occupy the top two spots on the individual leaderboard, with Levi Nix holding the lead for the second straight day after shooting a 4-under-par 66 on the 6,439-yard layout for a two-day total of 6-under 134. He’s two strokes ahead of teammate Sean Elliott, who followed his opening 69 with a 67.

Three strokes back and sharing third place in the 55-golfer field are Coastal Georgia’s Allen Bradford (71-68) and Alastair Tidcombe (69-70).

Also contributing to Dalton State’s team total Tuesday in the four-score format were Anthony D’Angelo (72-71 — 143, tied for ninth) and Chase Jones (72-74 — 146, tied for 16th). Also competing for the Roadrunners is Maximillian Bruck (73-76 — 149, tied for 20th).

The University of Mobile (284-286 — 570) is third in the team standings, ahead of Faulkner University (299-284 — 583), Belhaven University (302-289 — 591), Bethel University (309-298 — 607), William Carey University (304-314 — 618), Brewton-Parker College (311-310 — 621), Loyola University-New Orleans (315-312 — 627), Martin Methodist College (317-316 — 633) and Blue Mountain College (324-311 — 635).