SANDESTIN, Fla. – Tripp Summerlin played some of the best golf of his collegiate career on his way to a runner-up individual finish at the 2018 Sun Belt Championship, leading the way for the Appalachian State team.
A sophomore from Summerfield, N.C., Summerlin was the only golfer out of 60 participants who shot under par for all three rounds of stroke play at the Raven Golf Club on the Florida Gulf Coast. His line was as steady as they come – 70-70-70 for a 3-under-par total of 210.
His runner-up finish to Coastal Carolina's Morgan Deneen (-10) helped App State secure a tie for eighth place in the final team standings with a three-day total of 884 (300-298-286). Although it was not the result the team was seeking, it still marks the best Sun Belt finish for the Mountaineers since joining the conference for the 2014-15 season.
"We started off well today, and I was proud of the way the guys got into contention," said first-year head coach
Bo Redman. "We were up to fourth and fifth place for much of the day. We just couldn't finish. We had trouble with the last hole all week. We are disappointed, but we know what we need to work on in the future. We should have all the guys coming back next year, and we plan to compete for the championship."
Summerlin's steady play was historic for the Mountaineers in Sun Belt action. His runner-up finish is the best by an App player since joining the league, surpassing
Patrick Moriarty's 15th-place result in 2016. Summerlin's 210 was also the lowest 54-hole Sun Belt effort in App State history. He fired 12 birdies with only four bogeys, one double bogey and one triple in three rounds. Earlier this season, Summerlin became the first App State golfer to earn Sun Belt Athlete of the Week after his medalist performance at the Patriot Intercollegiate.
"Tripp has been special for us all season and certainly in this tournament," Redman added. "To have four top-two finishes and be the conference tournament runner-up as a sophomore is amazing. He has a bright future."
Junior
Alex Burris placed 16th with a three-round total of 217 (72-74-71) to help the Mountaineers' cause. Also factoring into the team score for App State were freshman
Candler Rice in a tie for 46th (78-77-73-228) and junior
Walter Brinker in a tie for 48th (80-77-72-229).
Summerlin, Burris and Brinker all improved on their finishes from a year ago. Summerlin went from 47th to second, Burris from 28th to 16th, and Brinker from 50th to 48th.
App State improved its score each round, but so did most of the other teams thanks to calming weather as each day of the tournament progressed. Falling in behind stroke play leader Coastal Carolina, which shot 7-under over three rounds, the 2-10 spots in the standings were separated by only 15 strokes in a tightly contested tournament.
The top four teams in the standings that advanced to Wednesday's semifinal and final match-play portion were No. 1 Coastal Carolina (845), No. 2 UT Arlington (871), No. 2 Georgia Southern (871) and No. 4 South Alabama (874). The winner of those rounds will determine the 2018 Sun Belt Conference champion.
Sun Belt Men's Golf Championship Team Results (Stroke Play)
1. Coastal Carolina – 294-275-276-845 (-7)
T2. UT Arlington – 295-293-283-871 (+19)
T2. Georgia Southern – 298-288-285-871 (+19)
4. South Alabama – 295-298-281-874 (+22)
5. ULM – 300-289-289-878 (+26)
6. Troy – 298-293-291-882 (+30)
7. Louisiana – 312-287-284-883 (+31)
T8. App State – 300-298-286-884 (+32)
T8. Arkansas State – 313-286-285-884 (+32)
10. Georgia State – 305-295-286-886 (+34)
11. Texas State – 296-291-304-891 (+39)
12. Little Rock – 318-296-279-893 (+41)
