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Arkansas State wins match play championship, earns first Sun Belt men's golf title

The Arkansas State Red Wolves claimed the 2019 Sun Belt Conference Men's Golf team title after defeating the ULM Warhawks in the championship match, 4-1, on Wednesday at the Raven Golf Club at Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort.
Credit: Sun Belt

MIRAMAR BEACH, Fla. — Semifinal Match Results | Championship Match Results | Championship Central
The Arkansas State Red Wolves claimed the 2019 Sun Belt Conference Men's Golf team title after defeating the ULM Warhawks in the championship match, 4-1, on Wednesday at the Raven Golf Club at Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort.

With their first-ever Sun Belt Men's Golf Championship title, the Red Wolves will receive the Sun Belt's automatic bid to the NCAA Men's Golf Championships. The NCAA men's golf selections will be announced on Wednesday, May 1 on The Golf Channel starting at 8:00 p.m. CT.

The Red Wolves claimed victories in the first, second, third and fifth matches with ULM taking the win in the fourth match. A-State's Zan Luka Stirn, Luka Naglic and Matthew Cole went 2-0 in matches on Wednesday. Stirn was victorious 4&3 over ULM's Otto Van Buynder with Luka Naglic closing out his match 2&1 over Andoni Etchenique. Cole claimed his match 1 UP over Thibault Santigny and Joel Wendin needed 19 holes to earn the fourth and final point of the day.

Eighty-one teams and 45 individuals will be selected to compete at one of six regional championship sites. Six 54-hole regional tournaments will be conducted May 13-15. Thirteen teams and ten individuals not on those teams will compete at each of three regionals while the other three regionals will have 14 teams and five individuals not on those teams. The low five teams and the low individual not on those teams from each regional will advance to the finals.

The six regional sites include Palouse Ridge Golf Club in Pullman, Washington, hosted by Washington State University; Stanford Golf Course in Stanford, California, hosted by Stanford University; TPC Myrtle Beach in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, hosted by Coastal Carolina University and Myrtle Beach Regional Sports Alliance; University of Louisville Golf Club in Simpsonville, Kentucky, hosted by the University of Louisville; University of Georgia Golf Course in Athens, Georgia, hosted by the University of Georgia; and University of Texas Golf Club in Austin, Texas, hosted by the University of Texas.

SEMIFINAL RECAPS
Fourth-seeded ULM earned a 3-2 upset win over No. 1 Georgia Southern on Wednesday morning in the first of two match play semifinals of the Sun Belt Men's Golf Championship. Third-seeded Arkansas State knocked off No. 2 Coastal Carolina, 3-2, in the other semifinal on Wednesday.

ULM's Guillaume Fanonnel clinched the victory for the Warhawks after going to two extra playoff holes to conclude the match. Fanonnel sunk a two-foot putt to clinch his match 1UP over Georgia Southern's Ben Carr. Thibault Santigny took down individual medalist Steven Fisk, 2&1, while Andoni Etchenique needed one playoff hole to take down Colin Bowles, 1UP.

A-State's Zan Luka Stirn claimed the first match of the day over CCU's Zack Taylor, 4&2, but it was freshman and individual runner-up Luka Naglic who clinched the final point for the Red Wolves. Naglic's putt on the first playoff hole on No. 10 against Luis Ruiz gave A-State the decisive point. Ruiz missed his putt attempt. Matthew Cole won his match against last year's individual champion, Morgan Deneen, 4&2.

About the Sun Belt Conference
Entering the second decade of the new millennium, the Sun Belt Conference continues to challenge itself, and its competitors, in all aspects of intercollegiate athletics. Not content with being simply the youngest football conference in the Football Bowl Subdivision, the conference has shown that it can rise each and every season that comes along. And since the birth of the league as an FBS member in 2001, the evidence is clear that the conference is indeed rising above competitors and peer conferences.

Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Louisiana, ULM, South Alabama, Texas State and Troy give the league 10 football members. Little Rock and UTA compete as Sun Belt members in sports other than football.

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