MADISON, Miss. – For the second day in a row, Texas State posted one of the top team scores in a round on Wednesday and it helped them advance to the 2024 Sun Belt Conference Men's Golf Championship match play to determine this year's conference champion.
 
The Bobcats shot 3-under 285 in the final round of stroke play, which moved them up three spots on the team leaderboard and into a tie for third. The 285 was one stroke off the best team score posted on Wednesday (ULM, 4-under 284) and tied with two others for the second-best. The two others – James Madison and Georgia Southern – were staved off by the Bobcats and finished four and five strokes back, respectively, of cracking the top-four.
 
The Bobcats, as the No. 4 seed, will face the No. 1 seed Arkansas State in the semifinals on Thursday morning. While they have not competed in match play this season, Texas State is 1-1 against the Red Wolves in tournaments this year.
 
The winner of the Texas State-Arkansas State will play the winner of ULM-vs-Marshall in the finals in the afternoon.
 
Kasper Nyland and Sakke Siltala led the way for Texas State by both carding 3-under 69s in the final round. Both players eagled on the par-5 7th and added three more birdies to turn in their lowest rounds of the week.
 
Nyland finished tied for seventh on the team leaderboard with a 1-over 217 (76-72-69). He was five shots back of the Hugo Thyr (South Alabama) and Thomas Schmidt (Arkansas State), who tied for first through regulation and settled the individual medalist honors in a playoff, which Thyr won on the third playoff hole.
 
Siltala, meanwhile, placed tied for 18th.
 
Tom Roed Karlsen, playing his second round of the week after substituting in following the first round, shot 2-under 70 thanks to an eagle on the par-5 5th and two birdies on the front nine. In two rounds, Karlsen posted a 2-under 142 (72-70).
 
Marcelo Garza and Jacke Burke both shot 5-over 77 in the final round.
 
Texas State ended the 54-hole stroke play with a 13-over 877 (303-289-285) and made an eighteen-stroke improvement from their first to final round. It was seven shots back of second and 18 behind Arkansas State, which shot 5-under 859 and was the only team to finish under par.
 
Live scoring of match play will be available on Golfstat while coverage on ESPN+ will begin at 10:30 am.
 
 
Course Info
Annandale Golf Course (Par 72, 7,190 yards)
 
Team Scores – Final (Stroke Play)
1. Arkansas State, -5 (288-281-290; 859)
2. ULM, +6 (299-287-284; 870)
T-3. Marshall, +13 (299-290-288; 877)
T-3. Texas State, +13 (303-289-285; 877)
5. Coastal Carolina, +15 (303-290-286; 879)
6. James Madison, +17 (302-294-285; 881)
7. Georgia Southern, +18 (301-296-285; 882)
8. Louisiana, +19 (301-292-290; 883)
9. Troy, +20 (297-294-293; 884)
10. South Alabama, +23 (303-296-288; 887)
11. Southern Miss, +29 (301-290-302; 893)
T-12. App State, +40 (311-293-300; 904)
T-12. Old Dominion, +40 (305-299-300; 904)
14. Georgia State, +51 (305-309-301; 915)
 
 
Texas State Individual Scores – Final (Stroke Play)
T-7. Kasper Nyland, +1 (76-72-69; 217)
T-18. Sakke Siltala, +4 (73-78-69; 220)
32. Marcelo Garza, +7 (76-70-77; 223)
T-52. Jack Burke, +14 (78-75-77; 230)
-- Tom Roed Karlsen, -2 (72-70; 142)