AUGUSTA, Ga. - Another season brought another victory as the No. 6 University of North Georgia men's golf team defended its team title in style at the Lander Bearcat Fall Kickoff at Forest Hills Golf Club in Augusta, Ga. Following a furious pace in the opening two rounds, the Nighthawks held firm on top of the leaderboard, finishing at 22 strokes under par as a team after an even-par third round, breaking the 54-hole program record.

Noah Zediker was the top finisher of a Nighthawk lineup that was the class of the tournament, as UNG was nine strokes clear of the competition, with each of the following three teams on the leaderboard hailing from the Peach Belt Conference. The tournament was held at the site of the 2023-24 PBC Golf Championships.

Zediker finished in a tie for second overall, carding a two-under finish to his third round and earning an eight-under finish to his tournament. The senior out of Panama City, Fla., finished with four birdies and two bogeys, dialing up three birdies on the back nine.

Ethan Day and Hughes Threlkeld were not far behind, with Day finishing in a tie for 11th, using his 66 in the first round to anchor himself as the second finisher for North Georgia. Threlkeld's day was the key to the finish in the third round, adding a three-under scorecard to move into 13th, finishing the tournament at four-under-par. 

Threlkeld was the class of his group on the day, finishing as the only member of the group of four to finish under par. He had three birdies and two bogeys in the front nine, adding in no bogeys and two birdies on the back nine, owning that half of the course in both the first and third rounds.

Hunter Smith, playing as an individual, finished in a tie for 14th after an even-par day, scoring three-under-par for the tournament. Smith provided a tournament highlight with an eagle at the turn, marking the third eagle of the tournament for UNG and the second on the ninth hole. 

Myles Jones finished fourth for the Nighthawks with an overall score of two-under, finding some struggles on the front nine but playing even-par golf the whole way on the back nine to get into a tie for 17th. Gabe Larson rounded out the lineup with a four-over par day, finishing at two-over for the tournament, grabbing a tie for 38th.

The Nighthawks will look to keep their foot on the gas, hosting the 2nd Annual Mizuno Intercollegiate at Chattahoochee Golf Club. Another highly ranked 20-team field will arrive in Gainesville next week, playing three rounds in two days on September 18-19.