The Troy men’s golf team will participate in the Memphis Intercollegiate at Colonial Country Club in Cordova, Tennessee, according to a March 29 announcement. The tournament is scheduled for March 30 and 31 and will be hosted by Memphis.
This event is important for Troy as head coach Clay Bounds continues to search for consistency with a young roster. More than half of the team’s lineup has been made up of underclassmen throughout the season, highlighting the team’s focus on developing new talent.
For the first time this year, three freshmen—Haston Emblom, Lawton Emblom, and Thomas Crane—will be among Troy’s top five counting scores. Upperclassmen Pablo Gracia and Lee Poppell round out the main lineup. The field includes teams such as Illinois State, Dayton, ULM, Eastern Kentucky, Ole Miss, Tarleton State, Tennessee, Lipscomb, Central Arkansas, Wright State, Memphis and Jacksonville State.
Troy recently shot nine-under-par in the final round of the Golden Nugget Invitational earlier this month. The team was also in fourth place after two rounds at their last event—the Seminole Intercollegiate—before facing challenges in the final round. Poppell has led Troy over three consecutive events with a combined score of three-under-par and five rounds under par this season. He leads with eleven rounds under par overall. Gracia has recorded seven rounds in the 60s among his ten total under-par rounds; together Gracia and Poppell have contributed counting scores in thirty-nine out of forty collective rounds.
Crane posted a two-under score at the Golden Nugget Invitational and holds third place on the team with five under-par rounds this year. The Emblom twins have only played together once before this season during an individual tournament last fall.
