GREENWOOD, S.C. – While Clayton State men's golf would see the course on Day 3 of the Peach Belt Conference Championships, it would be only the first two rounds that would matter as heavy rain and lightning would wash out the final day – but not before redshirt-senior Alex Vetnar (Glendale, Ariz.) would finish in second place and lead the Lakers to a 4-of-12 finish. With the third round not being able to be completed, the final standings reverted to the end of play on Saturday.
The team captain surged back from a 26th place tie midway through Round 1 on Friday and carried that through to sole possession of second place at the end of Day 2 with a 71-68-139. That put him just a single stroke back of eventual champion Jordan Ebanks of Flagler. With the weather not cooperating on the final day that would be all he would need to secure a tie for the second highest individual PBC finish in team history.
While he was denied the opportunity to become the first Laker individual champion since Wade Binfield (2009) and Will Wilcox (2008) went back-to-back at the end of last decade, Vetnar tied Wilcox (who is now on the PGA Tour) for the second best finish, equaling the future pro's runner-up outing in 2007.
As a team, Clayton State delivered its third straight top five finish at the PBC Championships with the fourth place outing representing a tie for the third best finish in team history. It trails only the 2009 championship team and 2008 runner-up squad and matched the mark set by the 1999 team which finished No. 7 nationally.
It is also only the second time they have had three or more top five finishes at the championships, equaling the team's run from 1997-99, also when they had two fifth place outings and a fourth, respectively.
Vetnar certainly did not do it on his own as junior Keith Egan (Newbridge, Ireland) also delivered a top five finish, shooting an impressive 70-71-141 three-under par over 36 holes. Freshman Henry Gee (Hiram, Ga.) shot a 75-75-150 and senior Ryan Haskell posted a 78-72-150 to finish tied for 37th and shot six over while sophomore Patrick Kim (Pleasanton, Calif.) shot a 79-84-163 to finish in 59th.
As a result of their top five finishes, both Vetnar and Egan have also claimed Peach Belt Conference All-Tournament honors, becoming just the third and fourth individuals in program history to accomplish that feat. They join Wilcox (2007, 2008, 2009) and Binfield (2008, 2009) as the only others to achieve that recognition.
It marks the third time in program history that Clayton State has had a pair of golfers earn All-Tournament in the same year, with the only other times occurring in 2008 and 2009 with Wilcox and Binfield.
With the shortening of the tournament to 36 holes, the Lakers 580 four-over par as a team equals the second best performance in a competition of that length in program history. It trails only a 578 two-over par by the 2013-14 squad at the season-opening Smoky Mountain Intercollegiate on September 9-10.
On the tournament, they shot a 294-286-580 and trailed champion No. 6 Flagler (566) by 14 strokes, No. 2 and previous two-time defending PBC Champion USC Aiken (568) by 12 and newcomer Young Harris (573) by just seven.
The Lakers will now wait and see if their performance has been good enough for an at-large bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament out of the highly competitive South/Southeast Region. Should they be selected, they will play at the Lake Jovita Golf and Country Club in Dade City, Fla. from May 4-6.
[UPDATE - Clayton State men's golf missed the regional field by one team as an unexpected champion and automatic qualifier from another league shrunk the at large field].
