Monday, March 9
St. Simons Island, GA
Georgia Southern University
at
Johnnie-O Collegiate
Late Surge Lifts Eagles to Co-Title at Johnnie-O
3/10/2026 4:31:00 PM | Men's Golf
Team now hosts The Schenkel this weekend
ST SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. - Georgia Southern played the final five holes at 9-under par, including -4 on the 18th hole, to storm back and tie Florida Gulf Coast for the Johnnie-O Collegiate title, held Monday and Tuesday at Sea Island's Plantation Course. It marked the third team title for the Eagles this season.
Led by Morgan Blythe's fourth-place finish, three Eagles placed in the top 20 (Thomas Horne - T-13, Parker Claxton - T-17) and all five Eagles finished at 3-under-par or lower for the tournament.
In Monday's opening round, the Eagles shot a 265, tied for the second-lowest team round in program history. Morgan Blythe used eight birdies to card a clean 64, while Claxton recorded eight birdies of his own to card a season-low 65. Horne shot a 67, Trace Carter shot a 69 and Harrison Sewell shot an even-par 72. In all, the Eagles cared 32 birdies as all five golfers shot par or below.
In the second round, Sewell led the way with a 69 and was bolstered by five birdies and an eagle. Horne shot a 70, Claxton shot a 71 and Blythe's 72 helped the Eagles to a -6 round and a second-place spot on the leaderboard.
On Tuesday, the Eagles took a few holes to get their mojo and fell a few spots on the leaderboard. But a back 9 played that featured 10 birdies and 10 Eagles propelled them back to the top of the leaderboard. Blythe led the way with eight birdies and a 66 while Carter shot a 67 with four birdies and an eagle. Horne birdied three of the final five holes to shoot a 70 while Claxton and Sewell both shot 72s. Claxton began his final round with three bogeys in the first three holes, but grinded his way back to an even-par score with a birdie on 18. Sewell got to even par with an eagle on 14 and then carded four pars to end his round strong.
In all, Georgia Southern defeated four teams ranked in the Top 50, including #23 Notre Dame. The three-round total of 822 is tied for the fifth lowest in program history.
Southern finished tied for fourth on the Par 4s, playing them at -11 and led the field on the Par 5s, playing them at -33. The three eagles were tied for the third most among the teams and the 70 birdies were tied for the fourth most. The Eagles also had just one double bogey or worse, which was the fewest in the field.
Individually, Blythe played the Par 4s at -7, tied for the fifth best in the field and both Horne and Sewell played the Par 5s at -9, tied for the second best in the field.
Words From Coach Carter Collins: "Hail Southern!! This team played great from beginning to end and when things got tough, they got better. What a finish from the team, playing the last five holes at 9 under! It's a tough and resilient team and they continue to push this program forward. Records fell this week and I'm very proud of the work they put in to get these results. More work ahead, can't wait to get started at Schenkel!"
Johnnie-O - March 9-10
Sea Island - Plantation Course • St. Simons Island, Ga.
Par 72 • 15 teams, 84 individuals
Team - 265-282-275=822 (-42), T1
Morgan Blythe - 64-72-66=202 (-14), 4
Thomas Horne - 67-70-70=207 (-9), T12
Parker Claxton - 65-71-72=208 (-8), T17
Trace Carter - 69-75-67=211 (-5), T33
Harrison Sewell - 72-69-72=213 (-3), T41
Up Next: The Eagles will host the 46th Schenkel Invitational Friday through Sunday at Forest Heights Country Club in Statesboro.
Led by Morgan Blythe's fourth-place finish, three Eagles placed in the top 20 (Thomas Horne - T-13, Parker Claxton - T-17) and all five Eagles finished at 3-under-par or lower for the tournament.
In Monday's opening round, the Eagles shot a 265, tied for the second-lowest team round in program history. Morgan Blythe used eight birdies to card a clean 64, while Claxton recorded eight birdies of his own to card a season-low 65. Horne shot a 67, Trace Carter shot a 69 and Harrison Sewell shot an even-par 72. In all, the Eagles cared 32 birdies as all five golfers shot par or below.
In the second round, Sewell led the way with a 69 and was bolstered by five birdies and an eagle. Horne shot a 70, Claxton shot a 71 and Blythe's 72 helped the Eagles to a -6 round and a second-place spot on the leaderboard.
On Tuesday, the Eagles took a few holes to get their mojo and fell a few spots on the leaderboard. But a back 9 played that featured 10 birdies and 10 Eagles propelled them back to the top of the leaderboard. Blythe led the way with eight birdies and a 66 while Carter shot a 67 with four birdies and an eagle. Horne birdied three of the final five holes to shoot a 70 while Claxton and Sewell both shot 72s. Claxton began his final round with three bogeys in the first three holes, but grinded his way back to an even-par score with a birdie on 18. Sewell got to even par with an eagle on 14 and then carded four pars to end his round strong.
In all, Georgia Southern defeated four teams ranked in the Top 50, including #23 Notre Dame. The three-round total of 822 is tied for the fifth lowest in program history.
Southern finished tied for fourth on the Par 4s, playing them at -11 and led the field on the Par 5s, playing them at -33. The three eagles were tied for the third most among the teams and the 70 birdies were tied for the fourth most. The Eagles also had just one double bogey or worse, which was the fewest in the field.
Individually, Blythe played the Par 4s at -7, tied for the fifth best in the field and both Horne and Sewell played the Par 5s at -9, tied for the second best in the field.
Words From Coach Carter Collins: "Hail Southern!! This team played great from beginning to end and when things got tough, they got better. What a finish from the team, playing the last five holes at 9 under! It's a tough and resilient team and they continue to push this program forward. Records fell this week and I'm very proud of the work they put in to get these results. More work ahead, can't wait to get started at Schenkel!"
Johnnie-O - March 9-10
Sea Island - Plantation Course • St. Simons Island, Ga.
Par 72 • 15 teams, 84 individuals
Team - 265-282-275=822 (-42), T1
Morgan Blythe - 64-72-66=202 (-14), 4
Thomas Horne - 67-70-70=207 (-9), T12
Parker Claxton - 65-71-72=208 (-8), T17
Trace Carter - 69-75-67=211 (-5), T33
Harrison Sewell - 72-69-72=213 (-3), T41
Up Next: The Eagles will host the 46th Schenkel Invitational Friday through Sunday at Forest Heights Country Club in Statesboro.
Players Mentioned
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