Clay Bounds named Sun Belt Coach of the Year & several Trojans earn All-Sun Belt Honors.

by WAKA Action 8 News

Troy’s Clay Bounds has been named the Sun Belt Conference Men’s Golf Coach of the Year, the league announced Tuesday afternoon. Additionally, Brantley Scott and Jake Springer were named to the All-Sun Belt First Team, and Nick Fowlkes was named to the All-Sun Belt Third Team.

In just his second year at the helm, Bounds is leading Troy back to the NCAA Regionals for the first time since 2017 as the Trojans enter the NCAA selections ranked No. 51 in the country. Troy advanced to match play at the Sun Belt Championship and won a pair of tournaments this year with victories at the Argent Financial Classic and the Daytona Beach Intercollegiate.

Bounds becomes the first Troy coach to earn Sun Belt Men’s Golf Coach of the Year honors in program history. The Trojans set a program record with a 286.79 stroke average and 0.24 score vs. par this season.

Scott was named to the first team for the second time in his career, while the All-SBC honor is his third overall. The top-ranked player in the Sun Belt by 23 spots (110 spots higher than the golfer named SBC Golfer of the Year), Scott led Troy from a No. 79 ranking entering the spring (outside of the NCAA bubble) to its spot inside the number thanks to an impressive spring season.

He posted a -0.61 score vs. par over his 18 rounds, with nine finding a red number and six finishing in the 60s. After shooting 8-over in his second round back from injury, Scott played his remaining 16 rounds within two strokes of par, with all nine of his under-par rounds coming during that stretch.

Scott was Troy’s top bag in four of the final five tournaments of the year, including a victory at the Daytona Beach Intercollegiate, a second-place finish at the Seminole Intercollegiate and a tie for third at the Sun Belt Championship.

Springer finished right on Scott’s heels, shooting even-par for the season (71.72 stroke average), with a team-leading 14 rounds under par and eight rounds in the 60s. The Tallahassee, Fla., native became the first Trojan since 2007 to win multiple tournaments in a season, and he was Troy’s top bag in 5-of-11 events.

Springer’s 7-under 65 in the final round of his victory at the Everett Buick GMC Classic was tied for Troy’s best round relative to par this season, while 204 (-12) in the same event was Troy’s best 54-hole score of the year relative to par.

Fowlkes finished the season within a half-stroke of par, posting a 72.18 stroke average and 0.45 score vs. par. He led the Trojans with a second-place finish in their victory at the Argent Financial Classic and posted 11 rounds in the red for the year.

He played his best in both of Troy’s team victories, as he tied for fourth in the win at the Daytona Beach Intercollegiate. Fowlkes turned in three top 10 performances on the year and finished in the top 25 in 7-of-11 events.

(Press Release from Troy Athletics)