Men’s Golf Wraps Fall at Steelwood Collegiate Invitational

Saturday, October 26

Loxley, Ala.

All Day

Troy University

Steelwood Collegiate Invitational

Photo by: Adam Prendergast

Men’s Golf Wraps Fall at Steelwood Collegiate Invitational

10/25/2024 10:27:00 AM | Golf (M)

Live Scoring

By: Troy Athletics Communications

TROY, Ala. – Up to No. 79 in the national rankings, the Troy men's golf team travels to Loxley, Ala., and the Steelwood Country Club for the Steelwood Collegiate Invitational to close out the fall portion of its schedule.

The field includes some of the top teams in the country, highlighted by No. 11 Illinois, in addition to several other top 80 programs, including Kentucky, Kansas State, Clemson and Nebraska.

The Trojans have turned in a strong start to the fall season, including a victory at the Argent Financial Classic and a third-place finish at the Everett Buick GMC Classic its last time out. Troy enters the final tournament of the fall with a 34-8-1 head-to-head record, and the Trojans have played five of their nine rounds under par.

"Steelwood will be the biggest test of golf for us this fall," head coach Clay Bounds said. "The green complexes are very difficult, so it will be important to have a good putting week and put the ball in the correct areas of the green. We have had a strong season so far and are looking to go into the offseason on a high note. The guys are playing well, and we are looking forward to competing this week against a very strong field."

Jake Springer is coming off an individual win at the GMC Classic thanks to a 12-under 204, which included rounds of 66 and 65 to close out the event. It was just Troy's second individual win in more than a decade and earned the Troy senior Sun Belt Golfer of the Week honors.

His week in Little Rock lowered his season score vs. par into the red, and he enters the week with a 71.22 scoring average and -0.78 vs. par mark.

Nick Fowlkes has led Troy throughout the fall as all nine of his rounds have counted towards the team card, and he's shot in the red in seven of those nine rounds. He enters Steelwood with a -1.33 score vs. par on the year and has shot in the 60s twice.

Bounds will roll with his same lineup from the GMC Classic to fill out his card, with Lee Poppell and Pablo Gracia returning for the fourth time this fall, while freshman Grant Yerger will be Troy's fifth bag for the second straight week.

Gracia shot under par in both his rounds that counted last time out but unfortunately signed an incorrect scorecard in the opening round, while Poppell sits third on Troy's season card this year with a 0.44 score vs. par, just 0.19 ahead of Gracia. Yerger has played three of his first six collegiate rounds within two strokes of par.

Teams will play a shotgun start for Saturday's opening two rounds, with Troy playing alongside Memphis and an individual competitor.

The Field
Troy, Clemson, Chattanooga, Kansas State, Illinois State, East Carolina, Virginia Tech, South Alabama, Rice, Kennesaw State, Memphis, Kentucky, Louisiana Tech, Nebraska