Troy University Athletics
Tuesday, September 8
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Golfweek Fall Challenge
Troy Men Post Top-Five Score in Program History to Open Season
9/8/2026 2:40:00 PM | Golf (M)
PAWLEYS ISLAND, S.C. – The Troy men's golf team shot 15-under and finished second in the season-opening Golfweek Fall Challenge, which wrapped play Tuesday at the True Blue Golf Course.
The score was the fifth-best in program history relative to par for a 54-hole event as the Trojans shot under par as a team in all three rounds for the first time since shooting a 9-under 855 in the season opener last season.
Playing in his first collegiate tournament, Jack Lowery stole the show for the Trojans, shooting under-par in all three of his rounds to finish tied for ninth individually. He carded six birdies in Tuesday's final round, his second consecutive 70, and finished 5-under for the week.
Lowery finished with 17 birdies on his card for the week, second-best in the field, while his 6-under on the par-5s was tied for eighth-best in the field. Overall, Troy carded 55 birdies, second only to Georgia Southern, and Troy's par-4 scoring (+4) was tops in the field.
"This week was a great preview of what this team is capable of," head coach Clay Bounds said. "We finished second and left a lot of shots out there on the course. I'm very proud of how the team fought all week and handled business. Everyone played well, but Jack really shined, finishing top 10 in his first collegiate event. He ended his round yesterday with some adversity, and today he played those holes -2 to finish. We do have a lot of work to do to get to where we want to be, but overall, it was a great week."
Troy shot 8-under as a team in Tuesday's final round, by far the best in the field. The Trojans were four shots better than USC Upstate's final-round tally and seven shots better than Georgia Southern for the day.
Georgia Southern won the team title behind its 16-under opening round as the Eagles clipped the Trojans by nine shots. Troy finished eight shots clear of Georgia State and 14 shots ahead of USC Upstate.
Four Trojans shot in the red on Tuesday, led by Pablo Gracia's 3-under 69, as he carded four birdies and just one bogey. Gracia finished in a tie for 11th, a shot ahead of Thomas Crane, who placed 16th at 3-under for the week after carding a 1-under on Tuesday, which included an eagle on the 584-yard 10th.
Lee Poppell jumped into 22nd place thanks to a near-perfect round with three birdies and one bogey as he shot 1-under for the week. Lawton Emblom finished in a tie for 33rd place at 2-over after shooting 72 on the day with three birdies.
Troy travels to Ruston, La., for the Argent Financial Classic on Sept. 27-29; the site of last year's season opener.
Team Standings
1. Georgia Southern 272-279-287--838, 2. Troy 281-286-280--847, 3. Georgia State 281-289-285--855, 4. USC Upstate 296-281-284--861, 5. Mercer 290-285-293--868, 5. Old Dominion 284-297-287--868, 5. UT-Martin 290-292-286--868, 5. Tennessee Tech 288-291-289--868, 9. Eastern Kentucky 286-289-295--870, 10. Murray State 298-285-289--872, 11. West Georgia 295-291-290--876, 12. Radford 296-287-295--878, 13. Presbyterian College 292-297-291--880, 14. Missouri State 301-295-286--882, 15. Central Arkansas 297-292-295—884
Troy Individuals
T9. Jack Lowery 71-70-70—211, T11. Pablo Gracia 71-72-69—212, 16. Thomas Crane 68-74-71—213, 22. Lee Poppell 71-74-70—215, T33. Lawton Emblom 76-70-75—239
Players Mentioned
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