The Georgia men’s golf team finished in fourth place in the NCAA Athens Regional on Saturday at the UGA Golf Course, earning a berth in the NCAA championships beginning May 29 at Pacific Palisades, Calif.
Alabama went wire to wire to win with a 24-under 828 followed by East Carolina (1-over 853), North Florida (6-over 858), Georgia (12-over 864) and Iowa (14-over 866). Each of the top-five teams advances to the NCAA championships along with the top individual not on a qualifying team – Long Beach State’s Philip Chian (tied-fourth, 3-under 210).
The Bulldogs finished 12 over for the tournament after begining the final round at even par. But with some help from Iowa and two-time defending national champion Augusta State, Georgia was able to finish in fourth for the third day in a row.
With Georgia finished for the day and sitting in fifth place, Augusta State still had two golfers on the course and trailed by two strokes but could not catch the Bulldogs, finishing in seventh with an 18-over 870. Iowa, which was in fourth when Georgia’s golfers finished, dropped a spot by the time its final competitors wrapped up their rounds.
Georgia’s T.J. Mitchell finished in seventh with a 2-under 211; Joey Garber finished tied for 29th with a 6-over 219; Nicholas Reach finished tied for 45th with an 8-over 221; and Keith Mitchell finished tied for 51st with a 9-over 222.
