Albany State Golf Ready for spring season

ALBANY, Ga. – Coming off its second-straight SIAC Championship, Albany State University men’s golf opens the spring season this week at St. John’s Golf & Country Club in St. Augustine, Florida. The Golden Rams are among 19 teams, including five of the Top 40 in NCAA Division II, competing at the 54-hole Spring Kickoff Intercollegiate, Feb. 11-12 – the first of three tough regular season tournaments.

“We’re just trying to keep getting better. We were able to win the conference last year, and we’re trying to keep building on that momentum,” ASU head coach Gary Hilton said. “Spring Hill becoming eligible this year is going to add an extra little test coming up at conference. We just have to keep getting better every tournament. We keep getting improving each year and are laying the groundwork for a successful program.”

Following this week’s three-round tournament, ASU will play in town at Doublegate Country Club, Feb. 25-26, in the Georgia Southwestern Hurricane Invitational, and then return to Florida for the Don Benbow Invitational at Blue Sky Golf Club in Jacksonville, Florida, March 11-12, hosted by Butler University.

“We’re playing some of the top-ranked Division II guys right now, and we’ll play some tough competition at Doublegate and Division I competition later this spring. If we keep playing big-time competition we’ll keep learning how to get better and prepare us for regionals should we make it,” said Hilton.

ASU returns top golfer Albany native Tyler Hanson and sophomore Chase McClain of Leesburg, Georgia, who had a strong fall for the Rams.

“We hope to have those two guys show us the way and lead us,” Nelson said.

Also showing promise entering the spring is freshman Jackson Crandall of St. Augustine, Florida, and Zambia native Abhinav Walia, a transfer from Bethune-Cookman

ASU completed 33 of 36 scheduled holes on Day 1 of the Spring Kickoff Intercollegiate, Monday, Feb. 11. The Golden Rams will play 21 holes on Tuesday. Live scoring is available at Birdiefire.com and on the BirdieFire App by following Spring Kickoff Intercollegiate.