Men's Golf: GATORS WIN BACK-TO-BACK STATE TITLES!

With a tenuous four-stroke lead after Monday's opening round of the SCHSL AAAAA-Division I State Championship at Shaftesbury Glen in Conway, River Bluff's men's golf team hit the links for the final round on Tuesday and not only held the lead but extended it to a much less tenuous 15-stroke advantage to earn the crown for the second year in a row.

The Gators followed up their tournament-leading even par round of 288 as a team on Monday with a four-over score of 292 for the pressure-packed final round on Tuesday. They won day one by four strokes over James Island and day two by ten over Dorman. Every Gator golfer remained under 80 both days.

Howie Vroon shot back-to-back 69's to finish second overall with a three-under 138, just a shot behind overall medalist Will Ruth of Dorman.

Maddox McCamy chased his opening round 69 with an even par 72 to finish in third place overall.

Sam Booth finished in 14th, Jesse Carlisle followed right behind in 16th, and Cooper Raley came in 18th. All five golfers finished inside the top twenty.

After the match, Gators Men's Golf Head Coach Roger Smith said, "I am extremely proud of how the guys handled the pressure, especially after a tight first round." Smith admitted that he didn't get much sleep Monday night. "A team can lose a four stroke lead on just one hole," he added. "I told the team on Tuesday morning that we had a plan. Just stick to the plan and play for each other."

That advice worked as River Bluff ran away from the field in the final round to earn the men's golf program its second state title, and winning those in back-to-back seasons.