Darton State golfers head to nationals for last time

ALBANY — Somewhere on the drive to Melbourne, Fla. Saturday afternoon, Darton State College golf coach Gary Hilton will think about the Cavaliers’ impressive run of 15 straight trips to the National Junior College Athletic Association national tournament.

Hilton, who played on Darton’s first trip to nationals in 2002, will take Darton to the tournament for the last time. The school is merging with Albany State after the season.

“It’s bittersweet,” said Hilton, whose team leaves Saturday morning for the 72-hole tournament that begins Tuesday at the Duran Golf Club.

“I still remember the first time we made the nationals and we went to Arizona. We had no clue what we were doing, but it was a lot of fun. Fifteen years later, I don’t know what to expect. It’s one of those things that never gets old.”

Darton’s resume is impressive. The program won three national titles from 2005-07, finished as runner-up in ‘08 and is coming off two fourth-place finishes in the past two seasons. During the Cavaliers’ 15-year run, they have nine Top 5 finishes.

Hilton hopes the program can finish strong. Despite the distractions of the school’s merger with Albany State and several of the team golfers unsure of their future, the Cavaliers have played well.

Part of that is because of the team’s chemistry.

“We’re a close-knit team,” Mason said. “These guys are crazy, got a good sense of humor. Everyone is different, but we’ve bonded well.”

Hilton has been impressed with how the team has handled itself. He said the community backing has been strong and said his players have fed off the support.

“It’s been an up-and-down year,” Hilton said. “We lost an All-American golfer for disciplinary reasons, but these guys have won three tournaments and finished in the Top 10 of every other. These guys have dealt with the merger and that distraction. But one thing we’ve learned this year is to have patience.”

The team will have three days of practice before the first round begins on Tuesday. The Cavaliers are scheduled to tee off at 10 a.m.