HOMER, Ga. – The No. 1 University of North Georgia men's golf team split a pair of medal match contests with No. 4 Grand Valley State University Friday.
A "medal match" consists of individual golfers competing against each other and is scored by cumulative number of strokes won rather than by the number of holes won.
The Nighthawks and Lakers played two 18-hole matches on Friday, each individual match counting as one win or loss toward the team's overall season. Within the matches were competitions between six pairs of golfers. Each match counted as a win or loss towards the team's overall match record. Meaning that because the Nighthawks won 3-2-1 in the second match, they had three individual players win their match, two of them tied and one lost.
With GVSU taking the first match and UNG claiming the second, both teams went 1-1 on the day.
Next the Nighthawks will remain in the Peach State as they head to in-state rival Georgia College & State University as the Bobcats are hosting the GCSU Bobcat Invitational.
The event takes place in Eatonton, Ga. at Cuscowilla Golf Club beginning all day on Monday, Mar. 18.
Match 1: GVSU def. UNG, 3-2-1
In the first pairing, UNG graduate student Will Chambless went up against Laker senior Drew Coble. Both players currently rank in the top 15 nationally per Clippd, with Chambless standing at No. 3 and Coble at No. 12.
Coble was able to come away victorious after an impressive turn around on the back nine. After Chambless took the lead with a par on the par-3 third hole, Coble fought back to tie it by birdieing in the par-5 sixth.
The two would remain tied until Chambless took a one stroke lead at the twelfth with a birdie. However, on the par-5 thirteenth, Chambless bogeyed while Cobble birdied to claim his first lead of the day by a stroke. Cobble maintained his lead through the finish line, ending his round one-under-par with a 71 to beat Chambless by four shots.
Junior Ethan Day and senior Stephen Kinsel would take the next two matches for UNG, putting the Nighthawks ahead 2-1. Both players went below par as Day shot a one-under 71 to win by a stroke, while Kinsel shot a 70 and won by three strokes.
GVSU sophomore Manuel Cue Vargas had the best opening round of any competitor on either side in his match against Nighthawk junior Hughes Threlkeld. Cue Vargas shot a four-under 68 that included three birdies in a five-hole span on his way to a five-stroke victory.
The win from Cue Vargas, coupled with another win from Laker sophomore Bryce Wheeler, meant it was all up to UNG freshman Colby Bennett to possibly salvage a push for his team by winning his match.
Paired up with GVSU sophomore Andrew Gwilliams, the two battled in an intense match that came down to the final hole.
Bennett took an early two-shot in the first three holes lead after Gwilliams had a bogey at the par-4 first and double bogey at the par-4 third.
Gwilliams would battle back, taking his first lead of the day on the par-3 eighth hole. He eventually grew his lead to two strokes and held it all the way until the crucial par-3 fifteenth hole. It was there that Bennett recorded a birdie, tying the match as Gwilliams double bogeyed with a five.
With three holes remaining, Bennett needed to find a way to edge in front of Gwilliams. However, the two sophomores played to a tie as they both parred each of the last three holes to finish their rounds with a 78.
Match 2: UNG def. GVSU, 3-2-1
In the second match, it was the Nighthawks turn to go low as a trio of players shot rounds in the 60's en route to a 3-2-1 win.
First, it was No. 7 senior Noah Zediker who had a big performance for head coach Bryson Worley's squad.
Zediker jumped out to an early lead, gaining three strokes on Gwilliams after just seven holes.
After bogeying his first hole of the day, Zediker steadied himself with birdies at holes three, five, seven and nine, making the turn at three-under-par and holding a two-shot lead.
On the back nine, Zediker was calm and collected. He did not record a bogey until the par-4 eighteenth hole, finishing with a four-under 68 and winning the opening match for the Nighthawks.
The 68 is Zediker's first sub-70 round since Oct. 2, 2023 when he recorded a pair of rounds in the 60's at the Cateechee Fall Invitational in Hartwell, Ga.
In the second pairing, Kinsel took down Cue Vargas with an even-par 72. He defeated Cue Vargas by three strokes and gave UNG the early advantage in the overall match.
Despite a three-under 69 from Nighthawk sophomore Hunter Smith in the third pairing, GVSU earned a tie as senior Nick Krueger also shot a 69, fueled by three birdies on the back nine.
The fourth pairing saw the lowest score of the day in either match as Threlkeld shot a six-under 66 on his way to a three-stroke victory, clinching the match for UNG.
Threlkeld was lights out in his second round of the day. He only recorded two bogeys the entire round and caught fire on the back nine to help him to the day's best score. From holes 13 to 17, Threlkeld went birdie, birdie, birdie, par, birdie. He had all but secured the match heading into eighteen with a four-shot advantage.
Threlkeld has had a very good spring season. His 66 on Friday marks the second time he's gone below 70 in a round this spring. He also finished in second place at the LMU Spring Kickoff in St. Augustine, Fla. in the Nighthawks' first spring competition back in February.
Threlkeld's win in the fourth pairing made the score 3-0-1 in favor of UNG at the time. With only two matches left to play, the Nighthawks were victorious. GVSU would take the final two matches with wins from Coble and sophomore Charlie Cooley.
