No. 49 Troy Has Sights Set on SBC Title

TROY, Ala. – The Troy men's golf team opens play at the Sun Belt Championship on Monday at the Annandale Golf Club in search of the program's first league title in almost a decade. The Trojans enter the championship as the top-seeded team in the league, coming in ranked No. 49 in the country.

The tournament will be broadcast daily on ESPN+ and the winner of match play will earn the Sun Belt's automatic bid to NCAA Regionals.

"Championship season is always an exciting time," head coach Clay Bounds said. "Our guys are ready. We have played great all year and now it's time to continue that momentum into conference.

"Annandale Golf Club is a great test of golf," Bounds said. "The course should be in great shape and ready to host all these great players. The golf course really suits the way our team plays. We are all really looking forward to getting on the golf course and getting a feel for how it'll play in the championship."

Troy has played at a high level all spring, with a victory, a pair of second place finishes and a tie for third in four of their six events after the break. The Trojans' most impressive performance might have been their last as they tied No. 29 Mississippi State and finished just a shot back of No. 15 Alabama at the Old Waverly Collegiate Championship.

Brantley Scott has been the catalyst for Troy's elevation in the national rankings (Troy entered the spring ranked No. 78 nationally), as he has posted a -0.40 score vs. par in his 15 rounds since returning from injury. Scott, ranked 34^th nationally, has shot in the red in seven rounds, with five of those reaching the 60s.

Jake Springer and Nick Fowlkes are both within half a stroke of par for the year and have combined for 22 rounds under-par among their 60 rounds played this year. Springer enters the Sun Belt Championship ranked as the nation's 163^rd player, while Fowlkes is not far behind at No. 206.

The 14-team field will play 18 holes on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The top four teams from stroke play will advance to match play on Thursday. Troy last won a league title in 2016 when it defeated Georgia State in the championship match; the Trojans won stroke play the following year by 11 shots but fell in the match play semifinals.

Tournament Name: Sun Belt Championship
Dates: April 21-24
Host: Sun Belt Conference
Course: Annandale Golf Club - Par 72 – 7,190yards
Location: Madison, Miss.
Format: 18 holes (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday) – Tee Times; Match Play (Thursday) – Semifinals and Finals
Field: No. 49 Troy, No. 67 Louisiana, No. 73 Arkansas State, App State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia State, Georgia Southern, Marshall, Old Dominion, ULM, Southern Miss, Texas State, James Madison and South Alabama

Troy Lineup
Brantley Scott (15 rds., 71.00 avg., -0.40 vs. par)
Jake Springer (30 rds., 71.83 avg., 0.13 vs. par)
Nick Fowlkes (30 rds., 72.17 avg., 0.46 vs. par)
Pablo Gracia (29 rds., 73.00 avg., 1.31 vs. par)
Lee Poppell (30 rds., 73.10 avg., 1.40 vs. par)

About Annandale Golf Course
Ranked by Golf Digest as the #1 private club in Mississippi, Annandale Golf Club is a golf oasis located in the heart of Madison. Masterfully designed by the legendary Jack Nicklaus, Annandale embodies the true spirit of golf. Here, you will find a 300-acre paradise for purists of the game, where our highest mission is to provide you with the ultimate golfing experience before, during and after the round.

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Players Mentioned

Nick Fowlkes

Pablo Gracia

Lee Poppell

Brantley Scott

Jake Springer

Troy University Athletics