Championship Central
MIRAMAR BEACH, Fla. - The 2017 Sun Belt Men's Golf Championship is set to begin on Sunday, April 23 at the Raven Golf Club at the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort in Miramar Beach, Fla. This year's championship will again feature a 54-hole stroke play event to crown the individual champion, but the overall team champion will be determined in match play format from the top four finishing teams.
Golfers from all 12 Sun Belt teams will take to the approximately 6,900-yard par-71 course. Teams will play 36-holes on Sunday beginning at 7:30 a.m. CT with groups continuing to tee off until 8:51 a.m. CT. Following round one teams will take a short break before returning to the course for round two.
Round three will begin at 7:30 a.m. CT on Monday and an individual champion will be crowned following the third round. The top four teams from stroke play will advance to the match play event scheduled for Tuesday.
Sixty men's golfers will take to the Raven, which has hosted the Sun Belt men’s championship for the past three years.
Max Herrmann of Georgia State was crowned the individual champion in 2016. He birdied three of his final five holes and survived a three-man playoff to earn low medalist honors. The Troy Trojans topped Georgia State in last year's match play final, 3-2, as the teams went to extra holes. Troy's Luke Moser hit a two-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole to lift Troy past Georgia State.
Georgia Southern enters the championship with the highest Division I ranking of all Sun Belt men's golf teams at No. 59. The Eagles own an adjusted scoring average of 72.48 with an average drop of 77.04. Troy ranks 64th in the NCAA and Georgia State ranks 68th. There are seven Sun Belt teams ranked in the NCAA top 100 with all but two ranked in the top 150.
The Eagles will be gunning for their second Sun Belt men's golf title in the past three years, while Troy seeks to become the first team to win back-to-back titles since 2013. The Panthers are looking for an eighth overall conference title and second as a member of the Sun Belt.
Georgia Southern leads the Sun Belt with a 287.26 average score with GSU just behind the Eagles at 287.53. Troy comes in just a stroke and a half behind the two leaders at 289.00.
Jake Storey of Georgia Southern leads all individuals with a 71.50 average. He has one win on the season and a season low of 67. Alex Herrmann of Georgia State is second with a 71.87 average and Storey's teammate, Steven Fisk, is third at 71.71.
The Sun Belt Championship continues with its new format this year with teams playing three rounds of stroke play before the top four teams move to match play to decide the title. Teams will play 54 holes of stroke play on Sunday and Monday, with 36-holes scheduled for Sunday, and after which an individual champion will be crowned. However, the top four teams at the conclusion of the 54-hole stroke play will advance to match play. The semifinals and finals of match play set for Tuesday. The top seed will matchup against the fourth seed and will tee off on the No. 1 tee on Tuesday, while the second seed will matchup against the third seed and tee off on the No. 10 tee. Morning tee times will begin at 7:30 a.m. CT. The championship match will tee off the No. 1 tee at a time to be determined.
This year's event will include live video coverage from the Sun Belt. The league will broadcast live from the Raven with coverage of the No. 10 tee and No. 13 green. Fans can access this video by visiting www.SunBeltSports.org. Live scoring will be available through GolfStat.com as well as on the Men’s Golf Championship Central page.