Darton golf team wins Region 17 title for 15th straight season

MOULTRIE — The Darton State College men’s golf team left its final mark in the state junior college circuit Tuesday morning, capturing the GCAA Region 17 tournament at the Sunset Country Club.

The school, which is merging with Albany State after the season, won the 54-hole tournament by 12 strokes.

The Cavaliers advance to the NJCAA District IV tournament on April 25 at Terry Pines Country Club in Cullman, Ala. where they will compete against teams from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. The top five teams will make the field for the national tournament that begins May 17 in Melbourne, Fla.

But the Cavaliers want to enjoy the region title for a few days.

ABAC finished second at 909, edging third-place Georgia Northwestern by two strokes. Andrew College finished fourth at 940.

“We took care of business today,” Darton coach Gary Hilton said. “We got the job done. It wasn’t pretty at times, but we got the job done. We had some guys step up and seal the deal. It’s good to go out on a high note in region play.”

Early morning rains made the course soggy and the winds also played a factor.

Darton golfer Finlay Mason won the region championship after finishing with a 71 on Tuesday, the only golfer to finish under par. He finished the two-day tournament with a 212, four strokes under par. It was the freshman’s third individual crown in his last four matches.

He led the all-tournament team along with teammate Josh Robertson, who shot a 74 in the final round and finished at 226, fourth-best in the tournament.

“Finlay continued to do what he has done lately,” Hilton said. “And Josh played well. My two guys from Great Britain really stepped up. I’m proud of both of them. This is what they came overseas for. They’ve made sacrifices to do what they’ve done all year.”

Harrison Mohr and Hunter Tidwell each finished with a 79 in the final round. Mohr finished the tournament at 228, while Tidwell finished at 233. Rob Simpson shot an 84 for the Cavaliers and finished at 239.

Hilton said he was pleased Darton will take some momentum into the district tournament.

“We’ve got two weeks to get ready, and we’ve got some minor things to take care of first,” he said. “It’s hard to pinpoint what is going to happen with this team, but we’ll see. We are winning. It could be the other way around where we weren’t winning.”