SUNSET BEACH, NC – Charleston Southern rallied past Elon for its second Big South Conference men's golf title in three years at the 2003 Palmetto Utility Protection Service Big South Championship, contested Saturday at the par-70, 6,720-yard Sea Trail Resort.

As the winner of the PUPS Big South Men's Golf Championship, the Bucs have earned an automatic berth to the 2003 NCAA Men's Golf Regionals. Trailing by three shots heading into the day, CSU made the most of it in the closing holes of a tight, three-team race, shooting a final-round low 295 and finishing at 887.

Coastal Carolina (891) – last season's champion – finished second and Elon (892) – the leader after the first and second rounds – ended up third in the three-day, three-round event. Liberty (901), Winthrop (909), Birmingham-Southern (910), High Point (940) and Radford (958) rounded out the field.

Charleston Southern's Paul Reed captured medalist honors with a three-round 217. Coastal Carolina's Alvaro Velasco and Liberty's Andrew Turner tied for second at 222. Turner also captured Big South Freshman of the Year for his play in the championship.

Joining those three on the All-Conference squad are Charleston Southern's Louis Muir, Coastal Carolina's Tom Schupp, Coastal Carolina's Dale Ketola, Winthrop's Matt Johnson and Elon's Ryan Loucks.

The Phoenix landed four golfers in the tournament's top 20 – Loucks (Tied-4th, 72-74-77--223), James Hockman (Tied-13th, 76-70-80--226), J.D. McNeill (15th, 74-77-76--227) and Keith Orlen (Tied-16th, 74-75-79--228).

– ELON –