GMC JC Men's Golf Takes 2nd at GCAA Championship

GMC JC Men's Golf Takes 2nd at GCAA Championship

The GMC JC Men's Golf team hosted the GCAA Championship at Twin City Country Club in Tennille, Georgia, and just missed knocking off two scholarship programs to claim the championship. Austin Quillian shot a 154 and was part of a three-person playoff for the Individual Championship.

The Bulldogs played well enough to take second with a score of 631. The event was a 36 hole one-day event that tested the players' stamina and skills. Twin City Country Club set the course to challenge the best junior college golfers in the state; only one player broke par. Austin Quillian led the Bulldogs firing a 75 in the first round to sit in solo second place, just four shots off the lead. Dylan Humphries (80) tied for sixth after round one.  Peter Thayer and Lurner Benton both shot 82, putting the Bulldogs two strokes behind after round one.

Round 2 started hot as Noah Hankins recovered from a less than stellar performance in round one to post a 76, narrowing the gap. Benton came in with 82, while Dylan Humphries gave the Bulldogs the lead with a 76. Peter Thayer posted 81, which made things interesting since each team's #1 players were still on the course leaving the team championship to be claimed. Austin Quillian was the last to come in for the Bulldogs. Quillian, known for having solid final rounds, approached the 18th green, surrounded by a crowd of GMC supporters and teammates, with hopes for a repeat.  Quillan finished with a solid round, but Brock Barber from ABAC shot even par to steal the win.

In a chase for the individual title, Quillian had an 18-foot par putt on #18 but just missed dropping him into a three-way tie for first place and a playoff for the title. In the first hole of the playoff Quillian striped his drive down the middle, but left his approach shot short and chipped to about 10 feet, but was unable to convert the par putt to force a 2nd playoff hole and finished T2 when Connor Hixon from Andrew College rolled in his par for the win.

The Bulldogs earned a return trip to the NJCAA National Championship, looking to defend their 2019 National Championship at Chautauqua Country Club in Chautauqua, NY, June 7-11.