NINETY SIX, S.C. – Led by
Henrik Lilja, Campbell finished third on the team leader board after the final round of the stroke play portion of the Big South Conference Championship at The Patriot GC at Grand Harbor. As a top-four finisher, the Camels advance to Saturday's match play championship.
Charleston Southern finished first on the team standings at 8-under 856 (281-290-285), followed by Gardner-Webb (285-292-282—859) and Campbell (287-281-297—865). Radford (294-293-286—873) and Winthrop (285-293-295—873) tied for fourth. Winthrop won a playoff Friday afternoon to earn a place in the 4-team match play tournament.
Lilja (71-66-70—207) and Zack Byers of Gardner-Webb (69-72-66—207) finished in a tie atop the individual standings at 9-under after 54 holes of stroke play. Byers won the playoff on the third hole to determine the individual medalist and will receive a bid to the NCAA regionals.
A senior from Gothenburg, Sweden, Lilja made 18 birdies over the 54-hole event (tied for first in the field), posted his sixth top-10 in 10 outings this season and his first-ever first-place finish on the collegiate level. After starting the day three over through the first three holes, he played bogey-free golf the rest of the way with five birdies.
Edwin Blomander earned a 10th-place finish (72-67-76—215), while
Alejandro Cogollo (72-73-77—222) tied for 21st.
Henric Bjelke (72-82-74—228) and
Garnet Manley III (76-75-77—228) tied for 33rd. Blomander made 36 pars and 11 birdies while producing his third top-10 of the season.
Campbell will take on Gardner-Webb Saturday at 8:05 a.m. starting from the 10th tee. Charleston Southern and Winthrop will start from the first tee at 8:00 a.m. The final is set for Saturday at 1:45 p.m. with the winner earning the Big South's automatic berth to the NCAA regionals. Live scoring is available at Golfstat.com.
Big South Championship
The Patriot GC at Grand Harbor / Ninety Six, S.C.
Par 72, 7103 Yards / Apr. 21-23, 2022
Final Stroke Play Team Results (top 4 advance to match play): 1. Charleston Southern 281-290-285—856, 2. Gardner-Webb 285-292-282—859,
3. Campbell 287-281-297—865, *T4. Winthrop 285-293-295—873, T4. Radford 294-293-286—873, 6. USC Upstate 293-290-295—878, 7. High Point 288-293-298—879, 8. Presbyterian 296-290-297—883, 9. Longwood 307-297-294—898, 10. NC A&T 301-305-316—922. * Winthrop defeated Radford in playoff to determine fourth place.
Final Stroke Play Individual Leaders: (top 5 all-championship team): *T1. Zack Byers (Gardner-Webb) 69-72-66—207,
T1. Henrik Lilja (Campbell) 71-66-70—207, 3. Max Dupree (USC Upstate) 70-69-69—208, 4. Bryce Corbett (Radford) 68-71-70—209, 5. Brady Hinkle (USC Upstate) 70-71-70—211. *won playoff on third hole for medalist honor.
Other Campbell Individuals: T10.
Edwin Blomander 72-67-76—215, T21.
Alejandro Cogollo 72-73-77—222, T33.
Henric Bjelke 72-82-74—228, T33.
Garnet Manley III 76-75-77—228.
