Kent State University
General Hackler Championship
Top Tier Competition Awaits Flashes at General Hackler
3/8/2018 9:26:00 AM | Men's Golf
The Kent State men's golf team heads south for the second time in two weeks, competing at the 17th annual General Hackler Championship March 10-11, in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Coastal Carolina will host the 54-hole event at The Dunes Golf and Beach Club, on a par-72, 7,233-yard course. The two-day tournament begins with 36 holes Saturday at 8:15 a.m. and concludes with 18 holes on Sunday. Live scoring is available at GolfStat.com.
"This is our fourth year in a row at the The Dunes Club, so with two seniors and two juniors in the lineup, we've got a lot of familiarity with this course," Head Coach Herb Page said. "It is probably the nicest private club in the Myrtle Beach area. It's right on the ocean. They've hosted a national club pro championship there."
The Competition
While the Golden Flashes hold a solid national ranking at No. 32, the 14-team field includes six squads ranked ahead of Kent State: No. 2 Texas A&M, No. 8 Georgia Tech, No. 12 LSU, No. 23 North Florida, No. 26 South Carolina and No. 31 NC State.
The rest of the field includes: No. 38 Kentucky, Virginia, Liberty, Princeton, East Carolina, Virginia Tech and host Coastal Carolina.
"The big thing this year is the strength of the field," Page said. "We've seen how good Texas A&M is. It's become one of the top 10 tournaments in the nation…maybe top five, so it's going to be a challenge and we're looking forward to it."
Last Time Out
The Golden Flashes last competed at the Louisiana Classics Feb. 26-27, at Oakbourne C.C., placing third of 15 teams. Kent State shot a 13-under 851, while No. 2 Texas A&M earned the team crown. Senior Ian Holt (Stow, Ohio) finished in tie for third place at 6-under. For his efforts, Holt was named Co-Mid-American Conference Golfer of the Week.
Senior Chase Johnson (Barberton, Ohio) piled up 14 birdies in three rounds, the second highest total among the field at the Louisiana Classics. Johnson's 3-under for tournament gave him a 12th place finish.
The Lineup
Competing this weekend for the Golden Flashes will be Johnson and Holt, along with juniors Gisli Sveinbergsson (Hafnarfjordur, Iceland) and Bjarki Petursson (Borgarnes, Iceland) and freshman Will Kurtz (Hudson, Ohio).
Freshman Josh Gilkison (Springboro, Ohio) will compete as an individual.
Last Two Seasons
The Golden Flashes finished second at last year's General Hackler Championship, in a shortened 36-hole competition. Kent State shot a 5-under 571, trailing only Wake Forest. LSU was third at 3-under. Ian Holt shot a 68 in both rounds for a second place finish at 8-under.
In 2016, Kent State finished third overall, but led the 15-team field in the final round with a 9-under. Gisli Sveinbergsson led the Flashes with a fourth place finish at 6-under.
Up Next
Kent State heads back to the state of South Carolina March 25-27 for the Hootie at Bulls Bay in Charleston.
Players Mentioned
