AMERICUS, Ga. – The Peach State is definitely a golf state, and the Peach Belt Conference is definitely a golf conference. The evidence is the six PBC teams that finished the season in the Division II Top 25 poll with two other teams receiving votes.
"PBC golf is one of, if not, the top conference in Division II. It's extremely competitive, and we look forward to that challenge. It's a good feeling to know you're going to compete against top teams week in and week out," Head Coach Andrew Danna noted.
It's that "iron sharpens iron" approach that the Georgia Southwestern men's golf team will use to improve their end of the season ranking of "others receiving votes".
The Hurricanes return six players from last season and add three newcomers.
Top Returners
Nate Gahman – Junior
- 2011 PBC Second Team All-Conference
- Two Top 10 finishes during sophomore year
- Tied for 11th at 2011 PBC Golf Championship
Craig Gibson – Senior
- Two-time Canadian Amateur championship qualifier
- 2010 Division II PING All-Region Team member
- 2010 PBC First Team All-Conference
J.P. Griffin – Junior
- Finished second in 2010 AFLAC/Cougar Invitational with second round 66
- Top 25 finish at 2011 PBC Golf Championship
Newcomers
The Hurricanes have three incoming freshmen, and two of them were high school teammates. Chris Campos and Trevor Oeastmann are both Columbus-area products, and the duo attended Northside High School. The third member of the freshman class is Jungsun Lee who attended Southland Academy in Americus.
RTJ Grand National Challenge hosted by Georgia Southwestern
GSW will be hosting its first tournament in several years. Opelika, Alabama's Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Grand National will host the field which will include Georgia Southwestern, Montevallo and West Georgia on September 17th, 2011.
Others Taking Interest
Golfstat, a college golf ranking system that takes into account the performance of opponents, is a comprehensive golf ranking system favored by golf coaches. Before last season, the Hurricanes were ranked just inside the Top 100 in the Division II rankings. GSW is currently ranked 48th out of 213 Division II teams.
Coach Danna's Key
"Last year we did a good job of preparing and putting ourselves in a position to win and couldn't quite finish tournaments. This year we will continue to prepare and put ourselves in that same position, but will focus even more on finishing."
The Hurricanes' quest will officially begin with their season opener next month. GSW is part of the field of the Kiawah Island Invitational hosted by USC Aiken on September 5th and 6th.