BROKEN ARROW, Okla. – Henderson State fended off Harding to win the 2024 Great American Conference Men’s Golf Championship title on Tuesday from The Club at Forest Ridge. The victory gives the Reddies three-straight GAC championships. The Bisons’ Dennis Staykov birdied his final two holes to capture the individual title.
The Reddies and Bisons separated from the field as third-place Southern Arkansas finished 21 strokes in back of the Bisons. Four Reddies earned top-10 finishes. Alex Hadden, the first- and second-round leader, finished as the runner up. Ethan Wilkins shot the Reddies’ low round of the day, a 1-under par 71. He tied for sixth. Nathan Cossement carded an even-par round for the second-straight day to move up to eighth. Miller Harris shot a 3-over 75 to tie for ninth.
Staykov began the final round three shots behind Hadden. The deficit grew to five after just four holes. The margin remained at five through 11 holes. Two Hadden bogeys and a Staykov birdie on the fifth hole, their 14th of the day, brought him to within two strokes. He birdied the par-4 eighth to narrow the gap to a single shot. On their final hole, the par-5 ninth, a Staykov birdie combined with a Hadden bogey made Staykov the first Bison to win medalist honors at the GAC Championships.
Sam Tandy, the GAC Player of the Year, recorded one of the low rounds of the day, a 2-under 70 to move into third place. GAC Freshman of the Year Jose Arzu collected a top-10 finish and Jose Peralta tied for 13th.
Three from SAU finished in the top 11. Logan McDonald tied for fourth to garner a spot on the All-Tournament Team. He netted three birdies as part of a 1-over round. Caleb Miller tied for sixth and Connor Harrington shared 11th.
Southwestern Oklahoma State took fourth, followed by Arkansas Tech and Southern Nazarene. Sutton McMillan tied Tandy and Southeastern Oklahoma State’s Dalton McGinnis for the best round of the day. His round featured six birdies and he moved up five positions into a tie for fourth. Tech’s Jackson Cole tied for 11th.
Southeastern Oklahoma State, Northwestern Oklahoma State and Arkansas-Monticello rounded out the team standings. McGinnis, who stood in a tie for 30th after the first round, continued his ascent up the leaderboard and finished tied for 13th. He made five birdies over his final 11 holes.
The Reddies earn the automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Midwest/Central Region Championships. The tournament takes place from Thursday, May 9 through Saturday, May 11 from KickingBird Golf Club in Edmond, Oklahoma. Henderson State played the course in the fall and took fourth at the Central Region Preview. The full region selections come out on Friday. Southern Arkansas, Harding and Arkansas Tech appeared in the top 10 in the most recent region rankings.
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