OKATIE, S.C. – So far this spring, the University of South Carolina Beaufort men's golf team's season had consisted of a series of close calls.

Until Tuesday.

The Sand Sharks ran away with the team title at their home tournament, winning the Sand Shark Classic by 12 shots over Coastal Georgia as senior Mark Phillips won the individual title at Chechessee Creek Club.

Phillips shot even-par 70 in the final round to finish at 4-over and edge Shorter's Ethan Lambert by three shots. USCB's Travis Cashion and Coley Davis tied for third at 9-over.

It was a continuation of a strong spring for Phillips, who entered the final round five shots behind Lambert. Phillips finished second at the Sea Island Invitational earlier this season, and he closed out his first collegiate victory in impressive fashion.

“I'm happy to see Mark earn his first victory at USCB, and I hope this sparks a fire for the rest of the team,” USCB coach Chris Cuneo said.

There were plenty of sparks this week. Along with the strong showings by Phillips, Cashion and Davis, Brian Langley tied for 13^th in his first tournament for the Sand Sharks, and senior Jack Bingham tied for 15^th. Luke McClellan tied for 26^th to round out the lineup.

“I am very proud of the team and their performance today on very difficult greens,” Cuneo said. “It was a good win against some very solid teams, and we are looking forward to working hard for the rest of the spring.”

USCB travels to Camp LeJeune, N.C., for the 41^st annual Marine Corps Intercollegiate from March 30-April 1.
 
Team standings
USCB 293-295-289—877; Coastal Georgia 296-295-298—889; Shorter 292-299-303—894; Webber International297-297-300—894; Johnson & Wales 296-305-294—895; Brevard CC 306-299-297—902; Blue Mountain 306-313-304—923; Milligan 312-304-313—929; St. Thomas 311-311-307—929; Black Hawk CC 331-314-325—970; Spalding 326-330-334—990

Top Individuals
Mark Phillips, USCB         71-73-70—214
Ethan Lambert, Shorter 70-69-78—217
Jordan Meltzer, J&W      75-76-68—219
William Anderson, Brevard          72-76-71—219
Travis Cashion, USCB      70-76-73—219
Coley Davis, USCB*         76-72-71—219
Justin Kalanquin, Brevard             77-70-73—220
Chase Miller, CoastalGa                73-73-74—220
Tom Gamble, WebberIntl            73-70-78—221
Josh Briere, J&W              70-79-72—221
Hunter Stuckey, CoastalGa          73-73-75—221

Other USCB scores
T13. Brian Langley            80-71-72—223
T15. Jack Bingham            74-75-75—224
T26. Luke McClellan        78-76-74—228
T32. Dylan Mixon*           79-76-76—231
T42. Ryan Clancy*            80-79-78—237
T55. Tyler Jacobs*            84-77-82—243
*indicates player is entered as an individual and does not count toward team score