Coastal Carolina entered Tuesday’s final round of the Myrtle Beach Golf Trips Intercollegiate with little room for error. By the time the final putts dropped at Grande Dunes Resort Club, the Chanticleers had turned a one-shot advantage into a runaway victory.
The host team fired a 10-under-par final round to finish the 54-hole event at 29-under, nine shots clear of runner-up Elon and 11 ahead of Lipscomb.
It was an impressive closing performance from a Coastal Carolina team that got stronger as the tournament progressed. The Chanticleers opened with an 8-under round before taking control Monday with an 11-under 277, the lowest team round of the second round despite challenging, gusty conditions.
That performance gave Coastal a one-shot advantage over Elon and a two-shot cushion over Lipscomb heading into the final 18 holes.
With the championship on the line, Coastal delivered again.
Another double-digit-under-par performance in the final round allowed the Chanticleers to create separation from their closest challengers. Coastal’s 10-under closing round completed a three-day total of 29-under, turning what began as a tightly contested final round into a nine-shot victory.
Elon, which set the early pace with a 12-under opening round, finished runner-up at 20-under, while Lipscomb took third at 18-under. UTSA finished fourth at 9-under, followed by Campbell at 7-under and Stetson at 6-under.
The victory also meant a new champion was crowned at Grande Dunes. Florida Atlantic entered the week as the defending Myrtle Beach Golf Trips Intercollegiate champion before finishing seventh at 3-under this year.
Home-Course Preparation Pays Off
Grande Dunes Resort Club serves as Coastal Carolina’s home course, giving the Chanticleers an opportunity to prepare extensively on the tournament layout in the weeks leading up to the event.
Coastal Carolina head coach Jacob Wilner said his team had approximately two and a half weeks to prepare after returning to school in mid-August, with much of that work taking place at Grande Dunes.
“This is our home course where we practice, so we did get the opportunity to play out here probably six or seven times in between class and other stuff,” Wilner said. “I think it worked out pretty well.”
The familiarity certainly showed as the tournament progressed. Coastal improved from 8-under in the opening round to 11-under Monday and followed with another 10-under performance when the championship was on the line Tuesday.
Final Team Standings
- Coastal Carolina: -29 (-8, -11, -10)
- Elon: -20 (-12, -6, -2)
- Lipscomb: -18 (-9, -8, -1)
- UTSA: -9 (-11, +5, -3)
- Campbell: -7 (-10, +1, +2)
- Stetson: -6 (-6, +1, -1)
- Florida Atlantic: -3 (-3, -1, +1)
Three Players Share Individual Championship
The team championship wasn’t the only reason for Coastal Carolina to celebrate. Jack Lee and Drew Sykes of Coastal Carolina joined UTSA’s David Martinez as co-champions of the Myrtle Beach Golf Trips Intercollegiate, with all three players finishing the 54-hole event at 12-under.
Lee entered Tuesday with the individual lead after rounds of 66 and 68 put him at 10-under through 36 holes. He closed with a 2-under 70 to reach 12-under for the tournament and earn a share of the individual championship.
Martinez began the day just one shot behind Lee and made up the difference with a 3-under 69. The UTSA standout posted rounds of 68, 67 and 69, putting together three rounds in the 60s on his way to 12-under.
Sykes took a much different route to the top of the leaderboard.
After opening with a 1-under 71, Sykes began making his move Monday with a 5-under 67. He saved his best performance for the final round, firing a 6-under 66 Tuesday to climb six spots and surge into a share of the championship.
Sykes improved his score in every round at Grande Dunes — 71, 67, 66 — and played his final 36 holes in 11-under par.
His final-round charge gave Coastal Carolina two of the tournament’s three individual co-champions to go along with the team championship.
Jacksonville State’s Ben Shedd finished fourth at 10-under, two shots behind the three co-champions. Elon’s Dylan Lewis and Stetson’s Uy Doan tied for fifth at 7-under.
A Breakthrough Victory for Coastal Carolina
The victory carried additional significance for Wilner and the Chanticleers. The Myrtle Beach Golf Trips Intercollegiate has now been played at Grande Dunes for three years, and this marked the first time Coastal Carolina has captured the championship at its home event.
“We got off to a great start,” Wilner said. “We just won our home tournament by nine shots, and it’s the first time we’ve won this in the first two years of hosting it.”
The result was an emphatic way to begin what Wilner knows will be a long collegiate golf season.
Coastal posted rounds of 8-under, 11-under and 10-under, finished nine shots clear of the field, and placed two players atop the individual leaderboard. Lee and Sykes sharing medalist honors with Martinez provided an additional highlight to an already memorable week for the host program.
There won’t be much time for the Chanticleers to dwell on the victory. Wilner said his players will get a few days away from golf before turning their attention to their next tournament, co-hosted by Wake Forest and East Tennessee State in Chicago.
“It’s a long year, but we got off to a great start,” Wilner said. “We have three or four days to decompress and do pretty much nothing, and then start back up next week and prepare for our next tournament.”
For Coastal Carolina, however, the opening week of the season will be a difficult one to top: a nine-shot victory at its home tournament and two individual co-champions at Grande Dunes Resort Club.
Photos for this feature from MyrtleBeachGolfTrips Instagram Account
