ALEXANDRIA, La. – The Prairie View A&M men’s golf team won the Southwestern Athletic Conference Golf Championship for the first time since 1979 in a dominant 54-hole performance at Oak Wing Golf Club.
The Panthers led after every round of the three-day, 54-hole championship, shooting a team score of 891, pulling away to win by 31 strokes ahead of six-time defending champion Alabama State (922). Texas Southern finished third (927), Alcorn State fourth (952), and Arkansas-Pine Bluff fifth (1032).
“I’m getting chill bumps in hearing that,” said second-year head golf coach Kevin Jennings, the SWAC’s Coach of the Year, of the 14th men’s conference championship in program history. “It’s still a little surreal. I feel we’re catching manna from heaven and some blessings that I didn’t expect so quickly. I thought we had a good opportunity. For weeks, according to Golfstat, we were the highest ranked team in the conference, but that’s on paper. We all know you still have to play the matches. These guys went out and did what we needed them to do, which was execute.”
The Panthers got on the national map in September with a second-place finish in the prestigious National Black College Hall of Fame Tournament in Atlanta, finishing second in the nearly 20-team field of HBCU programs, and built from there to today’s championship.
Prairie View A&M had the top three spots on the leaderboard, led by Laurence Crea. The Cypress, Texas native earned both low medalist (MVP) and Freshman of the Year honors after shooting three-over par 220 (67-76-77) for the tournament.
John Jones was one shot behind at 221 (73-73-75), with Zane Brooks just behind Jones (222; 72-75-75). David Baker Jr. shot 229 (74-73-82) to finish tied for fifth as all four PVAMU players earned first-team All-SWAC honors. Jordan Stagg‘s 244 (84-79-81) completed the scoring for PVAMU.
Crea’s five-under 67 on Monday was the only under par round of the tournament and proved to be tone-setter for the week for him and the Panthers.
“For me, and I think for the team, I knew one of our guys was struggling on Monday,” said Crea, who won district championships at Cypress (Tex.) Fairbanks High. “For me, it was about getting as low as I can to help the team out as best as I can. Whether that’s five-under or whatever I could do to get lower was my whole plan to help and lead our team the best way I could.”
Prairie View A&M men’s golf will learn its NCAA Tournament destination on Wednesday, May 2 on the Men’s Golf Tournament Selection Show at 4:30 p.m. Golf Channel.
The Panthers led after every round of the three-day, 54-hole championship, shooting a team score of 891, pulling away to win by 31 strokes ahead of six-time defending champion Alabama State (922). Texas Southern finished third (927), Alcorn State fourth (952), and Arkansas-Pine Bluff fifth (1032).
“I’m getting chill bumps in hearing that,” said second-year head golf coach Kevin Jennings, the SWAC’s Coach of the Year, of the 14th men’s conference championship in program history. “It’s still a little surreal. I feel we’re catching manna from heaven and some blessings that I didn’t expect so quickly. I thought we had a good opportunity. For weeks, according to Golfstat, we were the highest ranked team in the conference, but that’s on paper. We all know you still have to play the matches. These guys went out and did what we needed them to do, which was execute.”
The Panthers got on the national map in September with a second-place finish in the prestigious National Black College Hall of Fame Tournament in Atlanta, finishing second in the nearly 20-team field of HBCU programs, and built from there to today’s championship.
Prairie View A&M had the top three spots on the leaderboard, led by Laurence Crea. The Cypress, Texas native earned both low medalist (MVP) and Freshman of the Year honors after shooting three-over par 220 (67-76-77) for the tournament.
John Jones was one shot behind at 221 (73-73-75), with Zane Brooks just behind Jones (222; 72-75-75). David Baker Jr. shot 229 (74-73-82) to finish tied for fifth as all four PVAMU players earned first-team All-SWAC honors. Jordan Stagg‘s 244 (84-79-81) completed the scoring for PVAMU.
Crea’s five-under 67 on Monday was the only under par round of the tournament and proved to be tone-setter for the week for him and the Panthers.
“For me, and I think for the team, I knew one of our guys was struggling on Monday,” said Crea, who won district championships at Cypress (Tex.) Fairbanks High. “For me, it was about getting as low as I can to help the team out as best as I can. Whether that’s five-under or whatever I could do to get lower was my whole plan to help and lead our team the best way I could.”
Prairie View A&M men’s golf will learn its NCAA Tournament destination on Wednesday, May 2 on the Men’s Golf Tournament Selection Show at 4:30 p.m. Golf Channel.
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