The Troy men’s golf team will compete at the Irish Creek Intercollegiate on April 6-7, following its best performance of the season at the Memphis Intercollegiate, according to an announcement on April 5. The event is hosted by Appalachian State University and will take place at The Club at Irish Creek in Kannapolis, North Carolina.
This tournament comes after Troy finished fourth last week in Memphis, where the team achieved multiple wins over opponents that had previously outperformed them earlier this season. Pablo Gracia, Lee Poppell, and Thomas Crane each recorded under-par rounds and placed inside the top 15.
Gracia led Troy for the first time since mid-October by tying for tenth place with a score of four-over par. This ended a three-tournament streak where Poppell had been Troy’s top finisher; Poppell was two shots behind Gracia, tying with Crane for fifteenth place. Collectively, Gracia, Poppell, and Crane have combined for 29 rounds under par this season—Poppell leads with twelve such rounds.
Freshmen Lawton Emblom and Haston Emblom were both included in last week’s lineup alongside fellow freshman Crane. Their participation reflects a focus on developing younger players within the squad.
The Irish Creek Intercollegiate marks the second of three consecutive tournaments leading up to the Sun Belt Championship. Teams competing include App State (the host), Catawba College, Howard University, Lehigh University, Maryland Eastern Shore, North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina Central University, Old Dominion University, Presbyterian College and Sandhills Community College. Play begins Monday morning from holes one through four at 8 a.m., Central Time.
