The Georgia Military College (GMC) men’s golf team, led by All-American Brady Wentz, tied its team scoring record in placing second June 3-6, at the NJCAA Div. III National Championship at Chautauqua Golf Course in Chautauqua, NY.
Wentz tied a GMC record by shooting 68 in the third round.
His four-round total of 294 placed him fifth overall individually at the tournament.
“I am very, proud of the team’s performance this week,” Bulldogs head coach Kirk Kayden said. “They worked hard all week and competed to the best of their ability.”
The GMC team, comprised of Wentz, Ross Tetrault, Gehrig Massey, Caden Camp, Landon Lyon, and Stephen Bishop, set off for New York with high hopes to unseat Sandhills College from Pinehurst, NC, which had won the three previous NJCAA Div.
III titles. GMC also has three prior national championships to its credit.
The Bulldogs got off to a solid start in the tourney’s opening round, as Massey led the team with a one-under 71, with Tetrault right behind with an even-par 72. GMC was second overall with a team score of 300, just nine strokes off the lead behind Sandhills. It was considered a strong start for GMC since it marked each player’s first time in competition on the course.
GMC delivered an even better performance in round two, posting a 291 total, as Wentz led the team with a 70, while Tetrault and Camp each posted 73s.
Round three is considered “Moving Day” in the golf world, and the GMC golfers knew they needed a good number to position themselves for the final round. It proved to deliver another solid effort with a 295 team score, led by the 68 for Wentz. Meanwhile, Camp posted a 74, Massey 75, and Tetrault 78 strokes.
For the championship-deciding round, the Bulldogs faced a daunting 33-shot deficit, so each player shifted focus to just playing well and posting the lowest team score they could.
In a display of enduring determination, they combined for a team total 302, with Lyon scoring his lowest round of the tournament, a 74, which proved instrumental in securing the team’s runner-up finish.
In addition to the NJCAA Division III National runner-up title, the Bulldogs returned to Milledgeville with a slew of individual accolades.
Four Bulldogs, Wentz (5th), Massey (6th), Tetrault (9th), and Camp (12th), earned All-American status. Wentz's 68 in round three tied GMC alums Nick Johnson and Lurner Benton for the lowest round shot by a Bulldog at the National Championship. The team's total score after four rounds, 1,188, also tied the school record.
– Contributed