Mathers edges two-time defending champ at Spirit of America

For the first time in three years, the winner of the Spirit of America title was not named Brooks Rabren. After winning the event the past two years, Rabren came in second to Drew Mathers on Sunday at Burningtree Country Club in Decatur, Ala. Mathers clipped Rabren in the final round, using a 4-under 68 to come out two shots ahead.

Mathers is a rising junior at Huntingdon College, an NCAA Division III school in Montgomery, Ala. He put together rounds of 70-66-67-68 for a 13-under total that left him on top of the individual leaderboard. Already this summer, Mathers logged a top-10 finish at the Dogwood Invitational.

There is also a team component to the Spirit, and together with teammate Connor Bruce, Mathers finished third overall. Huntingdon had six total players in the event and three two-man teams. Huntingdon No. 1 (Arthav Argade and Owen Burt) finished 10th and Huntingdon No. 3 (Mark Connelly and Carson Whitton) was eighth.

Rabren, who plays for South Alabama, was cruising through the week in the top spot through 54 holes. After rounds of 69-67-65, Rabren closed with 72 to drop to 11 under.

Alabama’s Tyler Hitchner finished three shots behind him, followed by Tennessee’s Bryce Lewis in fourth another shot back. Vanderbilt’s Michael Shears rounded out the top 5 at 6 under.