Jacob Narayan
Graduate student Easton Paxton putts the ball during the Wolfpack Intercollegiate on Sunday, Oct. 17, 2021 at Lonnie Poole Golf Course. Paxton finished third with a score of seven-under par. The Pack won the tournament with an overall score of 17-under.
Over the weekend, the NC State men’s golf team competed in the ACC Championship in Panama City Beach, Florida at Shark Tooth’s Golf Club, closing the regular season with an eighth-place finish.
Despite the lackluster placement for the Pack, the weekend was still hallmarked by several performances of note, including graduate student Easton Paxton becoming NC State’s all-time rounds leader and junior Spencer Oxendine earning his best score in relation to par (-6) of the season.
On the first day of the competition, held Friday, April 22, Paxton and Oxendine paced the Pack with 4-under par performances through two rounds, with the duo tying for 13th place on the individual leaderboard at the event. While the Wolfpack ended Friday tied for eighth place, Paxton and Oxendine had the Pack just four shots out of fourth place.
Paxton became the all-time rounds leader for NC State on Friday, playing in his 151st round and breaking a record that had been held since Bowen Sargent played 150 rounds from 1987-91.
Sophomore Ethan Choi wasn’t far behind Paxton and Oxendine on the first day of play, finishing the day tied for 24th place after going 3-under par in the first round.
UNC-Chapel Hill dominated the event by out-shooting second-place Georgia Tech by nine shots throughout both days of the event.
Oxendine once again led the Wolfpack on the second day of the event, notching a 6-under par score through 54 holes to move up to a tie for 10th place in the event. The top-10 finish for Oxendine was his fourth of the season.
Paxton finished the event 3-under par, good for a tie for 19th place. Choi finished the weekend tied for 32nd place while junior Maximilian Steinlechner finished in a tie for 50th. Junior Carter Graf had a tough Friday but bounced back Saturday, going 1-under par in the third round and finishing in 57th place.
Next up for the Wolfpack is the NCAA Regionals, which take place from May 16-18. On Wednesday, May 4 at 4 p.m., the Golf Channel will announce what regional NC State and other teams are in during the NCAA Selection Show. After that is the NCAA Championship, which takes place from May 27-June 1 in Scottsdale, Arizona.