USC Aiken pulls away to tally its 10th win

USC Aiken's year of dominance continued Wednesday afternoon.

The Pacers shot 9-over-par 297 at Bull Creek Golf Club in Columbus, Ga., to win the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional by four shots over Armstrong Atlantic State. The No. 1 Pacers recorded their 10th victory in 12 events.

"That's really good," USC Aiken coach Michael Carlisle said. "There's been plenty of times we've won tournaments not playing nearly our best. There were some spots along the way (this week) that weren't real good. But they played well enough to win."

USC Aiken won its fourth consecutive Southeast Regional title.

After rounds of 292-298, USC Aiken finished at 23-over-par 887. The Pacers entered the final round with a two-shot lead over the Pirates.

Armstrong Atlantic State stayed within a few shots of the lead but failed to put together a charge. The Pirates shot a final-round 299 to finish in second place at 891. Georgia College & State finished third (914). Columbus State placed fourth (918).

USC Aiken's Scott Brown edged teammate Dane Burkhart to win the individual competition. Brown birdied the final hole to finish at even-par 216, one shot ahead of Burkhart.

After rounds of 72-71, Brown carded a final-round 73 to win his first regional championship after losing in a playoff to Kennesaw State's Kris Shepherd, of Evans, last year.

Burkhart was in position to win his second consecutive tournament after edging Brown by two shots in the Peach Belt Conference Tournament. Burkhart led by four shots with seven holes remaining but faltered with bogeys on Nos. 12 and 15. He then double-bogeyed the par-4 18th hole, opening the door for Brown.

"I hate to see any player encounter any difficulty," Carlisle said. "But they worry more about the team than the individual competition."

USC Aiken's Clint Smith (72, 228) finished in a tie for 13th place, while Casey Thompson (77, 233) finished in 21st place. Tyler Rolley shot a second consecutive 82 to finish in a tie for 27th at 238.

The Pacers advance to defend their Division II National Championship title May 17-20 at The Club at Savannah Harbor in Savannah, Ga.