The Georgia Southern men's golf team is competing in the NCAA Championship in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Go behind the scenes on and off the course as the Eagles look to continue their recent hot streak.
It's Time to Say Goodbye Blog
Well, it's all over. When Steven Fisk dropped in his par putt on 18, it signified the end of a storied career, but also the end of this run for your blogging staff. And what a run it's been. From Savannah to Palo Alto, back and to Fayetteville and back, we hope you enjoyed our coverage.
I think I logged nearly 70,000 steps over the past four days and climbed about 100 flights of stairs changing altitude here at The Blessings, but it's been fun and totally worth it.
But on to the day. With it being Memorial Day, the NCAA did a nice job recognizing the sacrifices paid by our troops defending our country. Each player was playing for a fallen member of the armed forces and those were announced before each player teed off for the first time. There were also signs at each hole with stories of fallen soldiers and each pin had the American flag in place of the usual flag. Each student-athlete was instructed to not let the flag touch the ground, which was really cool.
It was really neat to watch our players, families and fans follow Steven around today and support him. Things got a little sideways on 3 and 4, but everyone stayed positive and helped the Fisker turn it around on the back 9 to finish second. Think about that for a second. Steven finished second in the country and was one of only five players in the entire field of 159 to finish under par. That's pretty impressive right there and I hope everyone appreciates what he's one for this program.
Today was also unique with all of the cameras and announcers covering the round. Former PGA professional Notah Begay III walked with the group for several holes, which had to be pretty neat for the guys. Several times during the round, I know they were showing big shots from Steven because my phone was blowing up!
The walk up 18 was emotional for everyone knowing those would be the final shots with the eagle logo on Steven's chest and there was no way his par putt was not going in. He drained it and then you saw the emotions come out. After several interviews, he took his place with the other top individuals for an awards ceremony and beamed with pride hearing his name called as the national runner up.
That will do it for us. The team will fly back in style tomorrow morning and the rest of us will fly back not in style for an evening arrival back in Savannah. Again, special thanks go out to
Marc Gignac who took the photos and wrote the stories. He started the week bed-ridden but ended up rallying to the point he was pounding frozen custard each evening after dinner. Thanks to
Jeremy Wynder for taking my videos and making them into something fun to watch. And finally, a big thanks to Mayor Mays who filled in taking photos, kept us hydrated and even carried our equipment in stretches so we could make the trips up and down the hills a little easier. He may have taken 17 showers in five days, but he was a valuable member of the team. He was the only member to make it up hole 9 all four days and is counting his Blessings he doesn't ever have to do it again!
So that wraps it up. I truly hope everyone enjoyed our coverage. Let's do it in Phoenix next year!
Gallery: (5/27/2019) NCAA Finals - Day 4
The One More Time Blog - Sunday Evening
Well, we're down to one more round. We know that Steven Fisk will play his last round of golf as a Georgia Southern Eagle tomorrow. It's a little bittersweet, but he's been a great representative of out program and will go on to great things. Unfortunately, today didn't go quite as we hoped as the Eagles weren't one of the top 15 teams to make the cut after a tough back 9 ended up being the difference.
But Steven posted another 68 and will enter tomorrow's final round three strokes behind the leader. He'll actually play one group behind the guy in front of him, so he'll have an idea of what is needed.
But on to the inside scoop of yesterday. After soiling our pajamas being awoken by the tornado warning in the middle of the night, we actually slept in a little bit. With a later tee time, the creative service crew took their time getting rolling in the morning. Mayor Mays took yet another shower to run his tally to double digits for the week and we headed to the course. By the way, if you hear of a drought in the Fayetteville area, it can be directly tied to the Mayor's propensity for cleanliness.
When we got to the course, we put our stuff down and were excited for lunch. We were immediately let down when we realized it was cold burgers and hot dogs being served in the media center. But have no fear, Mayor Mayor talked Marc and your friendly blogger up to the VIP hospitality area, where we ended up getting the golden dot sticker added to our passes. Talk about a different world. We weren't dining on cold hot dogs any more. A gourmet Chinese buffet with a made-to-order stir fry station greeted us in this new Utopia. Now I know how Jack felt when he got to see how Rose lived on the Titanic.
The best part of the whole area was the frozen slushie station. With our golden tickets in hand, we visited that later on in the day when the humidity was cranked up in the thick Arkansas air. The Mayor was quite pleased that his people brought one out to him on 12 after he slogged it up the 9th fairway once again.
Once Steven dropped in the birdie on 18, it officially meant the end of the team season, but the Fisker has a chance at history tomorrow as he looks to become the first individual NCAA national champion in program history. Rosemary Kramer took third place earlier this year in the air rifle competition, so it's been a good year for individual performances.
Once all of the interviews were over, your team needed to find some dinner. For the second night in a row, Marc took his laptop into the restaurant to finish up his work while the rest of us ate so that you guys would have the best coverage possible. He may have missed the first day, but he's rebounded strong these past two days. After stuffing our faces with some Italian, Marc wanted custard. So yes, Marc's back.
So now it comes down to this last round. Steven will have quite the contingent of teammates, fans and family following around the course. It should be fun. We'll try to do as many shot-by-shot updates on Twitter and you can watch the race down to the finish on the Golf Channel starting at 4 p.m. (ET). Let's GATA One More Time!
Gallery: (5/26/2019) NCAA Finals - Day 3
The Tornado Warning Blog - Sunday Morning
First off, apologies to our loyal bloggies who have followed us closely through this over the past two weeks as I didn't get anything posted last night. Right after Steven dropped in an awesome birdie on 18, we had to get interviews done in near darkness and everything back to the media in Savannah. Then, to be honest, we had to eat. So we'll update you this morning. Sorry, please don't leave us.
Yesterday was about as nice of a day as you could ask for on this course and some of the scores showed. The Fisker went four under to put himself in contention in the individual race and Brett Barron shot a really nice 73 on a tough course. The team enters the day only six shots out of the cut, so hopefully they wake up feeling dangerous today and can put a total team effort together.
But now, for what you really come here for: the inside scoop.
First off, we were finally at full strength on the media relations side as Marc made his first appearance on the course after sitting out the first day with a stomach bug. He says he's lost about 7 pounds from the ordeal, but we're not sure if it's from not being able to eat, or walk 14,000 steps around the course. But it's good to have the team whole and on the prowl providing coverage for you. We're hopeful Marc can make it two days in a row, but time will tell.
With a late tee time, the crew got cabin fever and decided to leave early to head to the Arkansas campus to check out the athletic facilities. The golf course is on the outside of town and we hadn't seen campus yet. With the football team playing at Razorback Stadium in 2021, we wanted to check out what we were in for. The stadium is quite nice and tucked right in the middle of campus so you don't really see it until you drive up on it. We're confident anyone joining us for that game will really enjoy this place.
It was an interesting scene back at the hotel after the round as you had a ton of golf vans in the parking lot, mixed with a bunch of Star Wars fanatics right next door. The Wal-Mart AMP was playing the Star Wars movie with an orchestra playing the original score live in the pit. When we drove by, we heard R2-D2 beeping and booping over the loud speakers.Â
Last night was a little wild on the weather front here in Rogers as we were awoken in the middle of the night with a tornado warning. A nasty little front passed through the area with a tornado in Oklahoma setting off the alarms. All of our phones were buzzing and beeping and going crazy. For those of you staying in the Embassy Suites, it was something call hearing the voice come over the loud speaker alerting us to the warning.
More family showed up for the second round and there was a nice contingent on the 18th green yesterday as the team finished up in the twilight. TK made it up the 9th fairway, so he is officially a member of the club. He'll get a T-shirt that says "I Survived No. 9." If you're ever in Arkansas when it snows, that fairway would make an incredible sled run.
Finally, a big good luck goes out to the baseball team who plays for the Sun Belt title today in Conway. We'll be checking in from the course, so GATA!
Yesterday was really about golf and dinner, so there's not a whole lot more to add. We're back at it here in a few hours so we'll check back in after we know what Monday looks like.
Gallery: (5/25/2019) NCAA Finals - Day 2
The Let's Rest Up Blog - Friday Evening
Day one is in the books. I blog to you in the hotel room with an ice pack on my hip and one on my foot. The Blessings is no joke. It will chew you up and spit you out ... and that's just your blogging staff. We saw a couple of teams after they finished and they look like they ran a marathon. I feel bad for the teams who went off in the back wave today who have to be back out there for a 6:50 a.m. start time tomorrow. Yikes.
Anyways, back to us. The Eagles didn't light the world on fire and still stand only two shots off that magical 15th spot with two rounds left. That's exciting knowing there's plenty of room left for improvement for the team and they can put up better numbers. It was an absolute grind out there today, but a good dinner and night's sleep will do wonders for the squad as they don't tee off until 2 p.m. local time tomorrow.
There's really not much to report today except a scouting report on some of the holes. We saw putts roll off the green and into hazards and the climb up the fairway on No. 9 would is so steep I think we saw some mountain goats along the way.
What's really cool about this team is the access they give us. At one point during the round, I was standing in the fairway with Coach Collins and
Brett Barron discussing what prop should be used for their next interview. At another point, it was just me and
Steven Fisk in the fairway with me 10 yards behind him filming. You certainly don't get this kind of access from some of the other sports I've worked with over the years and it's helped make our job so much easier.
We also got to meet Mr. John Tyson of Tyson Foods on the first tee today. He was basking in the glow of his event when a volunteer walker crossed over in front of the tee box as the golfer was about to let loose. He was not pleased and yelled "come on, lady" and then made a bee-line toward her. She was still working later on, so I guess he gave her the poultry pardon and let her continue her duties.
Today's MVPs were the parents, who walked every hole and logged over 18,000 steps along the course. They earned their dinner tonight and hopefully they're rested up for tomorrow. Also, a big shout out to Mayor Mays who had to step in and take photos today when lead picture taker
Marc Gignac when down with a stomach bug in the middle of the night. It's also nice to see Mayor Mays get to put that photography class he took back in college when they still had to process the film come into use. Our final MVP is our AD, TK who got up at 4 a.m. after driving 15 hours with his son to drop him off for summer baseball in Missouri, to be here to support the team. He made a solid effort to make the full round, but I think the car lag final got to him. He promises to be better tomorrow!
The media facility at this place is top-notch. It's also stocked with all sorts of sandwiches, snacks and has the best feature ... air conditioning. Mayor Mays was quite excited to get a media pass and be able to take advantage of the complimentary lunch from a local BBQ joint that was out of this world. Don't worry, we burned off all the calories easily. Now the Coldstone Creamery we ate after dinner, maybe not so much.Â
There's really not much more to say about today. The +20 looked like a big number when we left the course, but it turned out to put us in pretty good position after Day 1.
Steven Fisk's round clocked in at 5:38 and there were rounds pushing six hours. The afternoon wave continued to put up green and blue numbers as the Eagles just sat back and enjoyed their first non-Chipotle meal of the postseason.
That's about all I have to offer tonight and my ice bag sprung a leak, so it's time to wrap this thing up. We'll see you all tomorrow!
Enjoy the sights and sounds of the day. And please, tell Mayor Mays his photos were good. He's very proud of them.
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Gallery: (5/24/2019) NCAA Finals - Day 1
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The Opening Day Blog - Friday
It's finally time to kick this party into fourth gear. The practice rounds are over, and even a full round is done )+21 from BYU). The team arrived in style, taking a private plane to Arkansas on Wednesday and played a practice round on Thursday.
Your media relations team flew in yesterday afternoon, having no problems going from Savannah to Atlanta to XNA. We were greeted upon our arrival into the terminal to a bowl of free Jolly Ranchers, so things got off to a smashing start in Arkansas. Full disclosure,
Larry Mays is a green apple kinda fella. I'm Team Cherry, all day, every day. Marc is too good for free candy and passed on Halloween in May.
After picking up our car, we drove to the course, seeing a lot of horses and fences along the way. The houses out here are unbelievable with the greenest grass you've ever seen. We decided to play the Zillow game and the abodes were a few million less than the 1,200-footers we saw in Menlo Park at Regionals, although there is a $6.1 gem that overlooks 5th, 6th and 15th holes at The Blessings I have my eye on as a potential summer home. It's 15,209 square feet and has bedrooms, so all of you are welcome to come visit. Needless to say, that Wal-Mart and Tyson Foods money is treating the housing market well around here.
The course is what we thought it would be. It's a monster. I saw on Twitter that one coach said he logged 134
flights of stairs walking all 18 holes, so to say the course is hilly might be a slight understatement. We checked in, got our credentials and then had to wait on Mayor Mays to shake hands with everyone (and he seemed to know everyone) before heading to the hotel. In the meantime I took a picture of our flag flying high in front of the clubhouse. It really is cool to at a national championship event of this caliber and we're excited to cover it.
It was then time to head to our hotel. Unfortunately, the Mayor shakes hands better than he follows directions as he took us the wrong way on the interstate. He blames the navigator. The case is still pending in the 4th Circuit of the Chevy Malibu Court of Appeals.
We're staying at what has to be the largest Embassy Suites in America. All 30 teams are staying here in Rogers. I mean, it's massive. It does have a complimentary beverage time each evening that I'm not saying we won't take advantage of. There's an amphitheater (named the Wal-Mart AMP, of course) right next to us and a ton of food places. We found a nice burger establishment nearby and got our grub on, only to reeled into a high-stakes game on BINGO. It was intense, but alas, none of us won any prizes so we went back to the hotel to rest ... and pout.
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We're headed to the course to get settled before heading out to hole #10 for our 8:40 start. Remember, we're an hour behind you East Coasters. We'll check in where we can, but NCAA rules prohibit us from posting video highlights on social media until the round is over. The best way to keep us is through the stats on GolfStat.
I got up early to spend extra time stretching and hydrating and applying sun screen just for you guys. Here goes nothing!
The Opening Blog - Thursday
We're baaaaaaaaaaack! Can you believe it? Apparently people really liked our Stanford blog, or everyone enjoyed having me out of the office so they said "let's send him to Arkansas for a week!" Either way, I'm happy to be back blogging from the Natural State as the Eagles look to tame the beast that is The Blessings Golf Course. First off, I have to get it out of the system, but The Blessings? Come on. All I can think about is the line from Christmas Vacation where Uncle Louis tries to get Aunt Bethany to say Grace (she passed away 30 years ago). THE BLESSING!
There, it's out of my system. No more. Maybe. Let's be honest, I can't promise.
Anyways, on to the course. You thought the line at In-N-Out was long last week in California? You ain't seen nothing yet. This monster is 7,550 yards of pure adrenaline and plays through two distinct landforms — the Clear Creek floodplain and a plateau that rises to 65 feet above the floodplain where it's bisected by a series of ravines. Both the outward and inward nines climb up and down between the two topographies, creating drama and variety on each hole. The course was originally designed by architect Robert Trent Jones, Jr. and opened in 2004.Â
COURSE MAP AND HOLE DESCRIPTIONS
It was founded by John Tyson of Tyson Foods Inc., yes the chicken guy, and the company underwrote the cost of all the tickets so everyone gets in free to the event. Hooray Chicken Man! And apparently they've teamed up with GS man Cole Swindell, so the chicken people are okay in our books!
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Interesting note I found when researching the course, since January, members of the course have had to carry a small patch of artificial turf in their golf carts to hit fairway shots off of. Needless to say, they're taking these championships seriously!
If the women's championship, which was played on this course last week, is any litmus as to how the course will play, everyone is in for a stern test. The course is long, but fair. It took a while to complete as the average round times were well over five hours. There are two par 5s at over 590 yards, but there are two par 3s at under 190 yards. Pack your walking shoes cause anyone coming is going to get their steps in on this one. Any predictions as to how many steps I get in tomorrow? Also, who will be there to carry me back to the car?
Your Eagles took to the air yesterday, arriving in style and then went to get a practice round in at the Fayetteville Country Club.
 They then headed to The Blessings to watch the women's finals and get a first look at the course. Check out
Steven Fisk's scouting report:
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The Eagles went through their practice round today, but one team was getting ready to play for real. That's right, BYU teed off for their first round today, which was really their third round. Confused? Me too. Let me explain it to you: to accommodate Brigham Young's policy of not competing on Sunday, the school had the option to participate in a practice round on yesterday morning while the remainder of the field conducted their practice round on Thursday. Brigham Young will then began their first-round of play (which was really their third round as they played with Sunday hole locations) this afternoon, approximately 30 minutes after the practice rounds concluded. All 30 teams and the six individuals will play tomorrow and Saturday while on Sunday the other 29 teams and 6 individuals will finish their final rounds. Monday to Wednesday will continue as originally scheduled. Got it? Not sure when ties will be broken if BYU is involved since they can't do them on Sunday, but that's for officials way above my pay grade to figure out.
So there you have it. The Eagles will start on hole 10 tomorrow at 8:40 a.m. local time (9:40 a.m. Eastern) and will play with Ohio State and SMU. It'll be the same pairing on Saturday, just starting at 2 p.m. local time (3 p.m. Eastern) and a 1st tee start.
We'll have videos, photos and other random thoughts once again, like why are Arkansas and Kansas spelled pretty much the same, but pronounced differently? So be sure to follow us at
GSEagles.com and on Twitter (
@GaSouthernGolf).
Everyone rest up, stretch and hydrate. We'll see you tomorrow!
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