The Georgia College & State University (GCSU) golf team completed its season April 18-20 at the PBC Conference Championship, shooting a 39-over-par 903 over three rounds.
The tournament took place at Forest Hills Golf Club in Augusta. USC-Beaufort shot 13 under par as a team, taking home its first-ever PBC Championship. USC Aiken placed second, North Georgia was third, and Georgia College finished eighth.
GCSU graduate senior Billy Goddard finished his collegiate career with a final score of 230 over the three rounds.
“It was not our best tournament, but it was nice to be out there with the boys one last time. The team is in good hands with Coach [Ben English] and the underclassmen we have,” Goddard said. “It is really bittersweet.”
Junior Matthew Rogers led the Bobcats with a team-best 222. Rogers scored a one-over par round on two days, turning in an overall performance of six-over par. Despite a solid individual performance, Rogers wanted a better end to the season for the team.
“I love these guys, and I was hoping to finish on a better note than we did,” Rogers said. “We have been improving, so hopefully next year we see some good results.”
Junior Kam McDaniel also turned in a solid performance, scoring a seven-over par score of 223. McDaniel spoke on the privilege of playing a great tournament at a great course.
“Obviously not the result we wanted but I am thankful to play a beautiful course like Forest Hills. Augusta is obviously a very special place for golf, so being able to play in this tournament is special,” he said.
The tournament marked the end of English’s first year coaching the team, and under his leadership the Bobcats have seen some significant improvements. Despite a few bad results at the end of the year, the GCSU golf team posted a top-10 finish at the Bearcat Spring Invitational and placed 11th of 19 at the Lander Invitational.
Several Bobcats had top-20 finishes as individuals this year. Kam McDaniel had a career best tournament at the Lander Invitational to go along with several top 20 results. Billy Goddard and Jack Hutcheson finished 10th and 12th, respectively, at the Bobcat Invitational in March.