Coastal Carolina University Wins 2024 PGA University Championship

Coastal Carolina University carded a final round 10-over 298 to win the 2024 PGA University Championship by 12 strokes on Wednesday at Mid Pines Inn & Golf Club in Southern Pines, North Carolina.

Coastal Carolina (15-over 591) won its first Jones Cup since 2005, finishing 12 ahead of Mississippi State University (27-over 603). UNLV (34-over 610) finished in third followed by Methodist University (38-over 614) in fourth and New Mexico State University (42-over 618) in fifth.

The competing teams were made up of five players from 17 PGA Golf Management University programs, with the four lowest scores counting toward each team’s total each round.

“Our team worked hard all year,” said Coastal Carolina PGA Golf Management Program Director Gil Feagin, PGA. “They've gone through six different qualifiers to make this team. Everybody on the team contributed, we took everybody's score at least one of the two days. I'm very excited for them and I look forward to what they're going to do in the future as golf professionals in the industry and playing in tournaments.”

Trace McDonald (1-under 71), Josh Gruenberg (3-over 75), Jones Saylor (3-over 75) and Patrick Masci (5-over 77) led the way as the Chanticleers’ four lowest scores in the final round. Hugo Denis shot 10-over 82 Wednesday.

McDonald carded the only sub-par round on Wednesday as the field faced cold temperatures and strong winds. The fifth-year senior at Coastal was even-par through 17 after matching two birdies against two bogeys before closing with a birdie on the par-4 18th hole.

“I struggled off the tee this week, but today I kept it in play and I was able to put myself in the right positions on the greens,” said McDonald. “This design is a little quirky and it forces you to play to specific spots and I felt like my approach game was up to the task today. I was able to play through some of the tougher morning conditions, but yeah, I was happy with how I played today.”

Mississippi State senior Jacob Berry won the Bill Cioffoletti Trophy as the medalist of the championship with a two-day score of even-par 144. He followed an opening round 1-under 71, which included an eagle on the par-5 15th, with a 1-over 73 Wednesday.

“We all work really hard, so it's just nice to be able to bring something back for our program,” said Berry, who has played in four-straight PGA University Championships. “I feel like I hit the driver really well. The course is pretty demanding off the tee. I didn't putt it great but I didn't have too many holes where I was in trouble off the tee.”

Coastal’s Saylor (1-over 145) finished second on the individual leaderboard followed by his teammates Gruenberg and McDonald in a tie for third at 2-over 146. New Mexico State’s Benny Opperman rounded out the top five with a total score of 3-over 147.

“I just think it speaks volumes to the depth of our program that we came in and everybody was able to compete at a very high level,” said McDonald. “It means a lot to us. We know that our program is great and it's nice to kind of broadcast that on a more national stage in front of all the other programs. This is my first time on the team and I've played a lot of amateur golf, but something about being in it with this particular team, it's pretty special.”

Coastal is excited to bring the Jones Cup home to Conway, South Carolina, for the first time in almost two decades. Feagin believes that this is just the first of many more PGA University Championship victories to come.

“We haven't won this event since it's become a full field national event,” said Feagin. “We won back in the early 2000s when it was just a regional event with only about 10 schools represented. To be able to win this with all the schools represented, it means a lot. And we hope to build upon this and have a nice tradition where they know when we show up at this event that Coastal is going to have a very competent team and it's going to be a hard out to knock us off each time."