Stephen F. Austin
Southland Conference Championship
Lumberjacks Register Runner-Up Finish at 2017 Southland Conference Championships
4/26/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
2017 Southland Conference Championship
Stonebridge Ranch Country Club | McKinney, Texas
Result: SFA notches runner-up finish with a 58-over 922
Top Finisher: Blake Stock ties for third individually with an 11-over 227
McKINNEY, Texas – Stephen F. Austin used a final round surge to capture runner-up honors at the 2017 Southland Conference Championship in McKinney, posting a 14-over 302 over the final 18 holes. The effort gave the Lumberjacks a 54-hole total of 58-over 922, four shots out of the conference title.
It was SFA’s best showing at the conference tournament since the Lumberjacks won the SLC title in 1999. The runner-up showing marks the third time SFA has finished second at the season-ending meet, matching the result from 1993 and 1990.
The 14-over 302 was tied for the second-lowes round of the tournament, matching the first round output from McNeese. SFA needed every one of those strokes as it was matched shot for shot by Sam Houston State, who also registered a 14-over 302 but finished one stroke back of the Lumberjacks in third place on a cold and windy day in north Texas.
SFA’s individual charge was led by junior Blake Stock, who tied for third with an 11-over 227 on the difficult course. Stock registered his second-straight 1-over 73, opening the day with four birdies over the opening nine holes before closing with birdies on 16 and 18 to help close the run for the ‘Jacks. Stock finished the championship event second among all players with 33 pars (one shy of teammate Major Monzingo) while tying for second in par-four scoring at 4.13, finishing at 4-over for the tournament. The tie for third closes out Stock’s season with his fourth top-10 showing and third top-five finish.
Stock was joined in the top-20 by a pair of his teammates, including freshman Zach Sudinsky who tied for 16th with an 18-over 234. Sudinsky closed out his conference championship debut with a 2-over 74 in round three, leading the Lumberjacks in par-five scoring with a 4.83 average, finishing at 2-under. Sudinsky registered his fourth top-20 finish in his Lumberjack debut season and his third-best showing of the season.
Sophomore Angelo Leyvani tied for 20th in the individual standings with a 20-over 236, including a 6-over 78 in round three. Leyvani closes out the year with seven top-20 finishes in 11 events in 2016-17 and his second top-20 finish at the conference event after tying for seventh in 2016.
Senior Major Monzingo closed out his SFA career tying for 22nd at the SLC Championships with a 21-over 237, closing his career with a 5-over 77. Monzingo led all players with 34 pars over the 54 hole event and ends his career with a 75.34 average, ranking among the top-15 all-time in program history.
Fellow senior Cory Brown closed out his collegiate career as well, shooting an 8-over 80 and tying for 26th with a 23-over 239. Brown ends his Lumberjack career with a 75.96 average and three career top-20 finishes.
Entering the day in fourth place, SFA embraced the cold and windy conditions to register the 14-over 302, seeing the rival Bearkats match each of those shots as the two teams competed in the final round pairings. The Lumberjacks slid into second place following tough final rounds from both Nicholls and Southeastern Louisiana, dropping to third and fourth, respectively.
McNeese repeated as Southland Conference tournament champions, registering a 54-over 918 and holding off the surging Lumberjacks by four shots to claim the title. Sam Houston State finished in third with Nicholls (64-over 928) and Southeastern Louisiana (66-over 930) rounding out the top-five.
With the conference tournament finish, SFA puts the wraps on another successful season, one which saw the Lumberjacks register top-10 finishes in 10 of its 11 events on the year with three tournament runner-up finishes. As a team, SFA posted a team scoring average of 294.52 with 27 individual top-20 tournament finishes as the ‘Jacks combined to register 47 rounds of par-or-better in 2016-17.
2017 Southland Conference Championship Final Results
| Place | Golfer | Score |
| T-3rd | Blake Stock | 81-73-73=227 (+11) |
| T-16th | Zach Sudinsky | 78-82-74=234 (+18) |
| T-20th | Angelo Leyvani | 74-84-78=236 (+20) |
| T-22nd | Major Monzingo | 87-73-77=237 (+21) |
| T-26th | Cory Brown | 80-79-80=239 (+23) |
| 2nd | Stephen F. Austin | 313-307-302=922 (+58) |
-SFA-
