(Photo courtesy of SEC Sports)
SEA ISLAND, Ga. — With defending champion
Alabama leading LSU by three
entering the SEC Championship final round, it
was shaping up to be a classic
shootout at Sea Island Golf Club. And though it
ended up being so, the
Crimson Tide were not involved on the back nine
of Sunday's final round.
LSU and Vanderbilt fought against one another
down the stretch, with the
Tigers going two-under their final six holes to
capture the team's first SEC
title since 1987. Alabama shot 10-over on
Sunday — the third highest final round among
the 14 teams — and settled for a fourth place
finish.
The Tigers were led by senior Stewart Jolly of
Birmingham, Ala., who finished
in a tie for fourth place at five-under par 205.
His final-round 69 included a
stellar, bogey-free back nine of 32. His eagle on
the par-five 15th, followed
by a birdie on the par-three 17th pushed LSU to
their 16th conference title in
the team's history.
Junior Zach Wright and sophomore Brandon
Pierce also secured top-10
finishes for LSU, with Wright shooting 70 on
Sunday for a T6 finish while
Pierce posted 72 to finish tied for 8th.
At a point early in the back nine, Vanderbilt held
a slim lead over LSU. But
going five-over in their final five holes, including
three double-bogeys, allowed
LSU to move in and capture the tournament by
three strokes. Senior Hunter
Stewart led the Commodores with a final-round
68 and a T4 finish. Junior Zack
Jaworski also posted 68 on Sunday, but double-
bogeyed the 18th hole.
Running away with the
individual title was South Carolina junior
Matt
NeSmith. His six-shot win and 54-hole total
of 14-under par 196 helped
his generally struggling Gamecocks team to a
runner-up finish, which they
shared with Vanderbilt. Shooting rounds of 65-
64-67, NeSmith almost single-handedly
won the SEC title for South Carolina as
the rest of his team
averaged 4.5 strokes over par for the
tournament.
Alabama sophomore Robby Shelton took third
place despite his four-over par
74 on day three. Shelton got off to a hot start
with two birdies in his first seven
holes, but made two double-bogeys on his final
nine holes. Taking second place
was Auburn freshman Ben Schlottman at eight-
under par 202. The North
Carolina native led his Tigers to a tied-for-fourth
finish alongside rival
Alabama.
ABOUT THE
SEC Championship
54-hole stroke play tournament crowns an individual
champion, then eight teams advance to match play
to
determine the SEC team champion.
View Complete Tournament Information