Troy Men’s Golf Heads to Sun Belt Championship

TROY, Ala. – Playing its best golf of the year, the Troy men's golf team heads to the Annandale Golf Club in Madison, Miss., this week for the Sun Belt Men's Golf Championship. Play opens Monday with the first of three rounds of stroke play.

Troy is coming off a fourth-place finish at the Mossy Oak Collegiate two weeks ago, which included victories over South Alabama and Southern Miss, the No. 3 and No. 4 seeded teams heading into the SBC Championship.

The top four teams following three rounds of stroke play advance to match play to determine the Sun Belt Champion and automatic qualifier for NCAA Regionals.

"The SBC Championship is always an exciting time of year," Bounds said. "Anytime you get to compete for a championship is another opportunity to make history for your program. Our plan is to do just that, make history. Our best golf has yet to come. It's a great time for it to finally show this week. We've been trending upward in the second half of the spring season, and coming off a strong showing at Mossy Oak, the team is feeling really confident and prepared.

"We're all just looking forward to a great and memorable week."

In addition to their strong play at Mossy Oak, the Trojans finished fourth at the Irish Creek Invitational and Memphis Intercollegiate in the weeks leading up to the SBC Championship.

Bounds' final lineup will be constructed following Troy's practice round on Sunday, but three staples are sure to tee it off Monday morning when the tournament opens.

Pablo Gracia enters the SBC Championship under-par on the year, carrying a -0.03 score vs. par and 71.66 stroke average into the event. He's carried Troy's top bag in five of the 10 events this year, and his individual round has counted toward the team card all 29 times he's teed it up.

Lee Poppell leads Troy with 14 rounds under-par this season – one ahead of Gracia – and is just nine total strokes behind Gracia for the season over 29 rounds. Poppell carries a 0.17 score vs. par and 71.97 average into the Sun Belt Championship.

Freshman Thomas Crane joins Gracia and Poppell as the only three Trojans to play in all 10 events. He is coming off an 18^th-place finish and Troy's top bag at Mossy Oak, thanks to his 6-under in the second round. Crane has eight rounds in the red, half in the 60s, and boasts a 1.41 score vs. par.

Lawton Emblom (3.67 vs. par), Haston Emblom (3.47 vs. par), and Grant Yerger (3.13 vs. par) will comprise the rest of Troy's selections for the Sun Belt Championship; teams may carry six golfers, with five active players and one substitute.

The Emblom brothers have played together in each of the last three events for the Trojans, while Yerger was a fixture in Troy's lineup for the first seven tournaments of the season.

Tournament Name: Sun Belt Championship
Dates: April 27-30
Host: Sun Belt Conference
Course: Annandale Golf Club – Par 72, 7,190 yards
Location: Madison, Miss.
Format: 18 holes Monday, 18 holes Tuesday, 18 holes Wednesday, Match Play Thursday (Top Four)
Field: Troy, Arkansas State, Georgia Southern, South Alabama, Southern Miss, Coastal Carolina, Texas State, James Madison, App State, Marshall, ULM, Old Dominion and Georgia Southern

Troy Lineup
Pablo Gracia (29 rounds, 71.66 avg., -0.03 vs. par)
Lee Poppell (29 rounds, 71.97 avg., 0.17 vs. par)
Thomas Crane (29 rounds, 73.21 avg., 1.41 vs. par)
Haston Emblom (15 rounds, 75.27 avg., 3.47 vs. par)
Lawton Emblom (18 rounds, 75.33 avg., 3.67 vs. par)
Grant Yerger (23 rounds, 74.74 avg., 3.13 vs. par.)

Troy Men’s Golf Heads to Sun Belt Championship

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Players Mentioned

Thomas Crane

Haston Emblom

Lawton Emblom

Pablo Gracia

Lee Poppell

Grant Yerger

Troy University Athletics