PBC Golf Dominates Poll; Columbus State Ranked #1

NEW YORK, NY – Peach Belt Conference golf teams have taken three of the top four spots; four of the top 10 and have five teams overall in the latest Golf World/Nike Golf top 25 poll from the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA). Columbus State is the new #1 team in the nation according to the poll, taking the spot from USC Aiken, who moves into fourth. GCSU is the new #2 while Clayton State is 10th. Lander is also ranked in the 14th spot.

CSU, who received one first-place vote and a total of 412 points, edged out Georgia College & State for the top spot. The Bobcats, who jumped six spots to #2, collected seven first-place votes and totaled 408 points.
CSU, who finished second to GC&SU last week at the Bobcat Invitational, has won three times this season and finished second twice.

The CSU golf team is also ranked #1 in Golfstat, followed by GC&SU, Nova Southeastern, Florida Southern, and USC Aiken.

The No. 2 slot for the Bobcats in the poll is the highest in program history. The Bobcats have finished in the top five in each of their five tournaments this spring. Georgia College is led by junior Niclas Johansson (Skanor, Sweden), posting a 71.8 stroke average and six top-10 finishes this season. Classmate Francisco Bide (Buenos Aires, Argentina) was recently named PBC Golfer of the Week and GCSU Athlete of the Week after winning the Bobcat Invitational Individual Medalist.

USC Aiken slipped from the top spot following a pair of disappointing finishes at the Bobcat Invitational and the Hootie at Bulls Bay last weekend. Nevertheless, the Pacers have a league-best four tournament victories this season, including back-to-back wins this spring at the Wexford and Cleveland Intercollegiates.

For Clayton State, the ranking matches the highest ever regular season ranking for a Clayton State men’s golf in program history. This spring season, Clayton State has recorded five Top 10 finishes, including finishing second at the Outback Steakhouse Intercollegiate and winning the Matlock Invitational.

Lander slipped 10 spaces in the latest poll, but should move up once again following their third-place finish at last week’s North Alabama Spring Invitational where the Bearcats finished third in the massive 24-team field. Lander has finished in the top three in four of their last five tournaments, including a win at the AASU/Southbridge Pirate Invitational in Savannah in February.

See the complete poll here.