April 19, 2009
The George Mason men's golf team finished in eighth place at the 54-hole CAA Championship at Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Ga. The Patriots team score of 928 was just two strokes behind seventh-place Delaware's 926 at the par 72, 7,050-yard Mountain View Course.
Sophomore Marshall Tinsley led the Patriots with a three-round score of 228, including a two-under par 70 in the second round to finish tied for 22nd. Tinsley was in 36th place after a first-round 80 on Friday. Branson Real shot Mason's low round today, an even par 72, to finish tied for 27th overall. Mason's Adam Van Houten finished tied for 37th after his three-round 235 and freshman Josh Apple after a month layoff because of injury shot a 238 to finish tied 44th overall. Greg Brouse carded a 54-hole 245 to round out the Patriots players.
VCU, which won their first CAA Men's Golf Championship since 2002, erased a 12-stroke deficit in the final round and defeating Georgia State in a one-hole sudden-death playoff to win the 2009 CAA Men's Golf Championship.
Georgia State's freshman Allen John received medalist after finishing with a tournament low 211 (70-65-76). John fired a 65 on Saturday to take command of the individual leaderboard and then came back to the field after shooting a 76 Sunday, but still won by two shots over Eric Onesi of Old Dominion (74-71-68=213).
The Rams were paced by Mark Jargren and Lanto Griffin and both finished tied for third with James Madison's Tim Driver. John, Onesi, Jargren, Griffin and Driver received All-Tournament honors.
With the win, VCU earns an automatic berth in the NCAA Regionals, while Georgia State, ranked 57th nationally, and must await the at-large selections to be announced in just over two weeks.
Georgia State entered Sunday's final round eight shots ahead of James Madison and 12 strokes better than VCU, but the Rams posted a two-under-par 291 on the final day to force the playoff.
On the first playoff hole, Rafael Campos and Mark Jargren birdied for the Rams to give VCU the title.
John, who sank a six-foot par putt on the 18th green to ensure the playoff, is the second straight Panther to capture the CAA individual title and third in the four years that Georgia State has been in the league. He follows Joel Sjoholm (2008) and Mark Haastrup (2006) as a CAA champions, as well as conference champion Allen Thompson (2001 TAAC).
Drexel freshman Andrew Lawson entered the CAA Record Books as he posted a hole-in-one on the 12th hole on the final day. Lawson is just one of three CAA golfers to record a hole-in-one at the CAA Championship.
GEORGE MASON
T22 Marshall Tinsley 80 70 78 228
T27 Branson Real 77 81 72 230
T37 Adam Van Houten 82 74 79 235
T44 Josh Apple 79 82 77 238
50 Greg Brouse 82 79 84 245
TEAM STANDINGS
VCU 290 301 286 877
Georgia State 285 294 298 877
William and Mary 300 291 293 884
James Madison 293 294 304 891
Old Dominion 311 293 287 891
UNC-Wilmington 304 297 290 891
Delaware 321 307 298 926
GEORGE MASON 318 304 306 928
Drexel University 309 308 315 932
Towson University 315 322 315 952
Hofstra University 342 351 337 1030
